Singles Reviews 6/2019
El Zeb - Belgian guitarist Sebastian Fevry is backed by super-surf rhythm section of drummer Dusty Watson and bassist Sam Bolle. I guess I thought El Zeb would favor comparisons to Slacktone, but this is something entirely different. Kinda lo-fi and punkish, not the expansive pallette of chords and drama that Slacktone is.
"Lane Splitter" is psych-punk assault. The rising melody line reminds me of the Chocolate Watchband with a little bit of the Insect Surfers' tone. Sam’s bass is so thick he’s making up for the the lack of rhythm guitar. This is driving stuff, careening really, barely hugging the curves between berm and cliff on a treacherous stretch of coastal Route 1.
"Pounding Surf"- The real pounding here is by Dusty who’s beating the shit out of his drums. The chromatic melody isn’t that engaging, but it builds to a mystical conclusion that is most satisfying.
"Road to San Felipe"- tightly fingered Spanish melody with a Staccato rhythm guitar. I love when the two guitars come together at the end, one cascading, the other nudging counterpoint. Plenty of space to hear the reverb springs.
"Dad’s 65" is outright hot-rod, a constant snare tatoo and a simple chord structure. I love the dopplered sound effects.
I was surprised by the lo-fi nature of this album. It’s really direct and in your face.
Soraia - “Still I Rise”
I usually don’t listen to this kind of stuff, but this is a powerful pop single, with a great lead vocal, a positive message and a big, rock production. Plus, the band is great live.
“Still I Rise” -Live, the band has a garagey vibe, but producer Steven Van Zandt gave this recording an early 80s sound, and I have to admit to a weak spot for that. She has big pipes, and she really stretches them on the well written song.
The B-side is a cover of the New York Dolls “Trash.” Soraia did a good job with it, but you really shouldn’t touch songs like this, you’re never gonna beat the original.
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I’ll be honest, two years ago I didn’t know what Cumbia was, and then, everyones talking about it. I still don’t know if the word refers to the beat, or is a catch all phrase for a vibe. I’ve heard lots of different bands described as Cumbia, and they can sound really different- from pop vocal to instrumental psychedelic. My friend Jonathan joined this band Mariposas Del Alma just after they put out this single. I love it! "I Love You For All Seasons" was originally recorded by and a Top 10 hit for the R&B trio The Fuzz in 1970.This version retains the tight harmonies of the original but is set over a groovy Latin rhythm, with hints of a Sly Stone production. I love that they sing the first verse in English and the second in Spanish. It’s really groovy and this is definitely THE song of the summer 2019! For you instrumental lovers, the B-side has no vocal, just great vibes, though I wish they had done a bit of a dub remix with it. I look forward to more from this trio, they are going places!
This Space Agency single came out in 2016. It’s immediately identifiable, as nobody else is doing what the Space Agency does. Their sound is led by a highly effected (though extremely vintage) guitar, over a psychedelic padding, and no one has the balls to mix the drums as low as the Space Agency. That just makes all the other layers much more audible. Somehow, Simon Jones' production gets a genuine out-of-phase mind warp that’s only possible with a two-track recorded with the head really out of alignment. If you like “Psychsploitation” era Satan’s Pilgrims, and want to go a little deeper, you must know about the Space Agency.
The Wave Chargers made a huge impression on me at last summer’s Surfer Joe Festival. They are a really modern surf band. It's not that their tones are outrageous, they were really tight, and the rhythm section worked in mechanical way. And then there are those those piped polo shirts... The single is packed with four songs, the first two on side A are originals and have good movement in the structure and melodies. The WCs have good dynamic range, though they mostly function in “this one goes to 11” mode.
Side B mixes it up a little with some raw sax on a cover of “Crossfire” and a I-IV-V romp with “Les Cavaliers de l’Apocalypse sant des sufeurs” Did I mention that they are a French band?
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