Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Surfaders - Surf Noir (extended version)
 | A few extra tracks have been added to their Surf Noir from 2009. The new tracks are just as fine. I really like "Return Of The Reverb Kid Part 1&2." |
Picks: Trouble In Tijuana, El Sheik, Midnight Interlude, Captor-Mine Attack, Creature From Beyond The Reef, Dragstrip Murder Mystery, Return Of The Reverb Kid Part 1&2
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
A big slap note starts off this soft toned low-E surf instro. The melody is is really nice, and the flow of the song is a testament to the writing and arranging. "Trouble In Tijuana" has a vintage long board feel to it, but is clearly a modern composition. Glorious whammy chords and imagery complete this fine track. Excellent!
Surf (Instrumental)
The mystery of the Middle East underpins this slow double picked moodster. "El Sheik" is a splendid example of the power that can be attained playing slow dribbled double picked guitar at modest volumes. This has the kind of surf mood appeal that The Surf Raiders' wonderful "Long Boards At San Onofre" has. Superb!
Surf (Instrumental)
Sparkling surf on a quiet bay illuminated by soft moonlight, with the gentle swells rolling quietly in. "Midnight Interlude" is a splendid and lovely surf epic. Highly visual and dribbling gorgeous.
Surf (Instrumental)
Low-E grumble and sparkling, dribbling surf playa superb song morphed from Larry Weed's "Moment Of Truth." It nay be derivative, but it's so originally arranged and has so many deviating lines that you may not really recognize the root of the song. I think this is about as original as a cover gets, and I struggled with calling it a cover because of the imaginative variations. Really strong!
Creature From Beyond The Reef Surf (Instrumental)
Double picked lead guitar drives a tuff surf melody that's dark and dangerous. Muted delicacy separates low and high-e verses. "Creature From Beyond The Reef" is a cool instro in a heavy and gritty surf style.
Surf (Instrumental)
Glissandos, muted rhythms, heavy bass and relentless drums. "Dragstrip Murder Mystery" features a heavy thunder and a cool cycling melody riff with fine whammy chords. I like this a lot!
Return Of The Reverb Kid Part 1&2 Surf (Instrumental)
Borrowing darkness and referential riffs from "Moment Of Truth," this song has that sort of glissando and rhythm going, but also uses muted high note melody lines that are very cool. A fine piece of music.