Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Voodoo Court - Nuclear Vacation: The Party's Over
 | This CD is significantly more sophisticated and developed than previous releases from Voodoo Court. the arrangements are fuller and the writing more mature. It's an adventurous journey launched from surf strained through grumbly guitar and wind swept country. |
Picks: Surfing In Chad, Elbow Grease, Coffee Stained Shirt, Third Times A Charm, 007 / Goldfinger, Thumb's Up, Sex Wacks, Badlands, 10,000 Years, Toxic Seaweed, The Party's Over
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
This is dark, angular, and with grodie glissandos and whammy chords. It depicts "Surfing In Chad" as if there's great danger to partake of the thrill of the ride. A great track with edgy and powerful sound.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Elbow Grease" is deliberate and nervous, with dreaded anticipation. It's like the relentless march of time as you wait for the next wave of cramps. Lots of edge.
Surf (Instrumental)
Fast flying meandering guitar lines settle into an aggressive melody line that's both fluid and angular. It's like a concrete sea of dangerous rides with crashing glissandos and intense power.
Surf (Instrumental)
On the lumbering side, "Third Times A Charm" uses string bending and whammy the way Henry Mancini used horn glissandos. Jazzy, dark, disturbed, and unique. Spies on surfboards with horizontal black and white stripes wet suits and red berets. It's both quirky and infectious.
Surf (Instrumental)
Classic spy by night delicately driven with Voodoo Court edge. This is a very nice arrangement of these two often covered film themes. The unique arrangement keeps them fresh and cool.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Thumb's Up" is on the pretty side, with a western melody line and galloping cowboy beat. The dribbling bass lines and rolling drums are very cool under the grodie guitar. A fine track.
Surf (Instrumental)
Tribal drums and an R&B melody line bring a dissonant edge to this tune. It's intense and playful, and most unusual. A bluesy guitar approach and some distortion make this cross the genre lines into several other categories, without actually leaving surf.
Surf (Instrumental)
Lumbering cowboys ride move through a cactus desert toward a sunset ending. There's danger ahead, but they only suspect the comeuppance that lies just beyond the next arroyo. Moody and very cool.
Surf (Instrumental)
"10,000 Years" is a bumble bee sorta damped vibrato number that's playfully unusual. Tweaky theremin warbles, glissandos for fun, and an odd melody create the kind of catchy track that makes you grin.
Surf (Instrumental)
Slowly rising from the silence, "Toxic Seaweed" moves inevitable to a tribal adventure on an open highway to faraway lands. Spunky fluid, it is sometimes jammy and sometimes misty. Bright and flirtatious, with edge.
Surf (Instrumental)
Soft surf slurps at the shore as the music rises from the distance. Island whammy warmth permeates "The Party's Over." It's a bit sad, yet has the optimism of a new day dawning after the darkest night.