Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Four Piece Suit - Ready To Where?
 | Ostensibly a lounge act, there's a lot of really cool big surf guitar and gnarly Steve Douglas sax lines. The band has a totally fresh approach to the whole lounge ethic, and with their surf sensibilities, they are quite satisfying. They are from Boston. This is a fine CD. |
Picks: A Shot In The Dark, Mondo Bondo, Jam Up, Theme From Exodus, Something For Cat, Kolme Kitaraa, Strip Search, Walter And Conny, In Pain In Paris, El Cumbanchero, Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue), Rambunctious, Lonesome Lover, Human Jungle, Dark Eyes
Track by Track Review
Lounge Surf (Instrumental)
A Shot In The Dark has more cool than Henry "Hodad" Mancini ever imagined. The guitar is big and sustained, and the sax is way-cool. Suave and debonair. Peter Gunn meets the Pink Panther in a surf tavern.
Suave (Instrumental)
Mondo Bondo features sitar guitar tones. It's groovy, fluid, and fun.
Jump Blues (Instrumental)
Jam Up is a jump blues number with considerable infectiousness.
Lounge Surf (Instrumental)
The Theme From Exodus is covered better than any I've heard in a long while, except maybe the Halibuts & the Lively Ones. It's big, VERY cool, and has an incredible grin on it's face... an almost Blue Hawaiians feel.
Lounge Jazz (Instrumental)
Something For Cat is a really jazzy lounge number. A suave and sophisticated Henry Mancini tune.
Euro Lounge (Instrumental)
Kolme Kitaraa has a definite Euro Laika & the Cosmonauts feel about it, but retains the Four Piece Suit identity.
Lost Wages Lounge (Instrumental)
Strip Search rocks in a Lost Wages sleazy way with plucky guitar and great stereo sax (via delay?).
Lounge Surf (Instrumental)
Walter and Conny reminds me of what might occur if James Bond met up with Kraan in Conny Plank's legendary studio. Really intriguing tune.
New York Bar (Instrumental)
In Pain In Paris plays around with the hot summer night smoky New York bar sound.
Dueling Lounge (Instrumental)
El Cumbanchero features an unusual sax / guitar duel lead, which demands attention. It's a very cool and jazzy thing.
Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue) Lounge (Instrumental)
Neil Young's Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue) uses sax lead with big guitar with a sort of Austin sound. Playful approaches to art rock can be most satisfying.
Blue jazz (Instrumental)
Rambunctious is a blue jazz tune.
Blue jazz (Instrumental)
Louisiana Lover is a blue jazz tune.
Lounge Surf (Instrumental)
Human Jungle is like A Shot In The Dark, but with a sax lead. John Barry's intentions are strained through a Mancini sentimentality.
Lounge Surf (Instrumental)
The Eastern European traditional classic Dark Eyes is rendered anew, using sax as the focus.