Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Diamondheads - Sonic Blue
| 14 new, long overdue tracks from The Diamondheads! Sonic Blue is a solid set of tunes with breadth of sound and variation to keep in in the player. These guys remain a band that I really enjoy listening to. |
Picks: The Meadowood Twist, One Armed Bandit, The Fullerton Stomp, Spy Point, Moon Over LBI, Return To The Ooze, The Jalopy Showdown, Duck Dive, Skeg Party!, The Sparkle (In Your Eyes), Siesta On The Jersey Riviera, El Guacamole, If Montana Had An Ocean
Track by Track Review
Cow Surf (Instrumental)
Demented shouts yield to a country tom tom twanger with a very beat and happy melody. Layered guitars and southern town afternoon hoe-downs come into view. Rich and invigorating.
Rock (Instrumental)
"One Armed Bandit" is a sort of Eddie Angel-ish twangster with great tone and tuff drums. Its riff rockin' joy oozes at every turn. A hot time in the old saloon tonight!
Surf (Instrumental)
This is an updated version of "The Fullerton Stomp" from the "Jalopy Showdown" single. Groovy tremolo second guitar ripples while the lovely lead tone plays a melody that's mathematically intriguing and slithery smooth. Perhaps it was inspired by The Super Stocks' "Santa Barbara," or one of the other Richie Podolor melodies with perfectly cycling notes. No matter, "The Fullerton Stomp" is a fine composition with excellent tone and full arranging. I like this a lot!
Surf (Instrumental)
Superb whammy dips and swimming whammy chords punctuate this spy adventure. Mid tempo, a little slithery, with great drums and writing. There's just enough espionage intrigue to really charm you.
Surf (Instrumental)
Lovely, almost island chords paint a warm and gentle image of Long Beach Island. This is very well executed and developed. "Moon Over LBI" is loaded with engaging charm and tonal beauty. Simply superb!
Rock (Instrumental)
On the gritty side, with more melody than many such numbers, and layered guitars. "Return To The Ooze" is a solid rock twang example with big splash chords and ominous bass.
Surf (Instrumental)
Updated from the single version, "The Jalopy Showdown" still pumps is a gritty Eddie Angel vein. Crunchy, with a jumping beat.
Rock (Instrumental)
Sax dominates the soundscape in this well thought out detective theme, with guitar and organ running support. "Harvey Cedars, P.I." is an easy listen on a rainy night. Nicely mixed and arranged.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Duck Dive" is gutty with a very cool muted surf guitar lead and distorted counter melody guitar. The break is slithery and short. I found that this really grew on me!
Surf (Instrumental)
Upbeat, happy, and rolling right along, "Skeg Party!" takes you down the road on your way to that afternoon kegger. Lots of spirit and joy.
The Sparkle (In Your Eyes) Surf (Instrumental)
This is an easy going number with a pleasant melody and good energy. Its sound is warm and adventurous. The organ over tortured whammy chord break switches gears for a Euro sound.
Siesta On The Jersey Riviera Surf (Instrumental)
Gutty and gloomy in an optimistic way... by which I mean the song is upbeat and hopeful, while the sound is a bit dark. It's an interesting contrast.
Surf (Instrumental)
tremolo and playful guitar lines, strong drums and bass, and excellent tone. "El Guacamole" is fun and engaging. The bouncing beat and melody don't seem at all Spanish, but so what! It's way too fun to worry about that.
Surf (Instrumental)
"If Montana Had An Ocean" is slow and tremolo charmed, with deep lead guitar and a splendid, slightly sad melody. This is a very visual instro.