The Volcanics "Forgotten Cove" album review

A hundred years from now, connoisseurs won’t make a distinction in the eras of surf music, it will all be viewed as one big wave. From the early 60s through the troubled teenage years of the 2000s, surf music’s presence has waned and waxed, but clearly isn’t going away. Any generation can authentically channel the teenage mindset– a bit of wonder, a touch of innocence and a bunch of testosterone– through a tank reverb and a Fender amp, and let it rip. 

The Volcanics present themselves as men who haven’t forgotten the pimple years. The blue sweaters, the cartoon motifs and the insane volume that would have Mom yelling into the basement to turn that noise down. Out of their commitment, they find new music and especially melodies that seat their songs squarely between the classics of the genre. It’s like these songs were there all along, waiting to get written.

The Volcanics present their new album, Forgotten Cove, with all instrumentals. They are great singers, but to have truly unhyphenated surf music, it can’t have vocals. (And, it’s a personal thing, but while I find that reverbed instrumentals are still moving and relevant, as soon as I hear lyrics that ape the innocence of the sixties hot rod/girls scene, it sounds really dated.)

Forgotten Cove is focused on the band, and most songs sound like they are easily pulled off live. Just a few production touches here and there– sound effects, acoustic guitars that you probably won’t hear on stage. There’s a certain sexiness, a danceability, that sets The Volcanics apart. The songs retain simplicity, but also are original. Nods to standards are inevitable, but The Volcanics do not grovel before legends, they seem quite confident in their skills. 

Forgotten Cove is an album full of variety, a great set from a band that continues to grow and clearly is here for the long haul. 

My picks: “Sunset Rider”, “El Dorado”, “Panic Run”, “The Traveller”

Available from Double Crown Records and Hi-Tide Records

"Game of Thrones" theme done Spaghetti Western style

The final season of Game of Thrones has started. The title theme is outstanding, and immediately gripping, filled with drama and movement. The only problem is that its not a spaghetti western. So, Frankie and the Pool Boys have fixed that, and "released" our version. When I say released, I mean it's available for download from Bandcamp. If you like it, drop the 99 cents for the download :) Of course, you can also listen to a preview for free.

People don't leave a lot of comments, but if you think of a good Game of Thrones/Spaghetti Western mash-up title, please post it. I like "Once Upon A Time In The Westeros"

Game of Thrones Theme on Bandcamp

Shigeo Naka "Nippon Eleki Beat" liner notes

These are the unedited liner notes for the new Shigeo Naka CD, "Nippon Eleki Beat". The notes in the CD were edited to fit.

Hello Traveler, and welcome to Japan!

If you haven’t already met, I’d like to introduce you to Shigeo Naka, a contemporary guitarist with a strong love and affinity for the sounds of the early 60s. The music on this album is a nostalgic trip to an exciting time for baby boomer bands, when Japan exploded with creativity along with the rest of the planet.

Japan popularized the inexpensive compact AM radio, and the sounds of the world filled the ears of Japanese teenagers, who were quick to pick up the trends and assimilate them within their culture. Amongst the most popular styles playing on international airwaves were the surf and instrumental sounds– with no lyrics to cross the language barrier– coming from America Britain and beyond. Bands like The Ventures, The Shadows and The Spotniks gave birth to Eleki, with it's focus on strong melody and a hyped up guitar as the lead voice. This led musicians like Takeshi Terauchi, The Sharp Five, Yuzo Kayama (Japan’s answer to Elvis Presley) and many more to release records with a distinctly Japanese feel, that, unfortunately, were slow to leave the Japanese archipelago.

Shigeo Naka is much too young to have been around for the first wave of Eleki bands. As a young guitar prodigy, his tastes were wide and he immersed himself in all manner of rock. His big break came when he put together an instrumental group called The Surf Coasters, which went on to release 25 albums after making a popular debut on a Japanese Star Search style show. The Surf Coasters were met with critical and fan love, and have toured the world, with Naka as lead guitarist and songwriter. As a first call session guitarist, Shigeo showed his range backing hard rock as well as power pop artists. 

“Nippon Eleki Beat” is Shigeo Naka’s fourth solo album, and he returns to the sounds that first inspired him. With one original, the rest are covers of some of his favorite 60s songs done in the Eleki style. The opener “Karasu” (meaning “crow”) and  track 5, “Rainy Pavement” were originally moody vocals sung by the legendary Yuzo Kayama. Track 2 is The Sharp Five’s “Golden Guitar,” which has become one of the most recognizable Eleki songs around the world. Track 3, “Bombay Duck” is a bit more obscure, but has been covered by both The Shadows and The Ventures. “Furimuite Kyoto” is an original song by Naka, written for the kimono singer Madoka Ogino, and her vocal version is also included as a bonus track. (You will notice Miss Ogino as the cover model of this album.) Track 7 comes all the way from Sweden’s The Spotniks, who, together with The Shadows and The Ventures, are counted as one of the most famous instrumental bands of the 1960s. Track 7, “Blue Rainbow" was a vocal song originally recorded by legendary Japanese GS band The Blue Comets and was a hit in 1968.

As you enjoy your travels though the monumental cities and sweeping countrysides of Japan, let the music of Shigeo Naka be your soundtrack, calling forth an optimistic time of discovery and harmony.

–Ferenc Dobronyi January, 2019

1- Rainy Pavement - Yuzo Kayam vocal

2- Golden Guitar - Sharp Five

3- Bombay Duck - Shadows/Ventures

4-Furimuite Kyoto - Shigeo Naka

5- Karasu - Yuzo Kayam vocal

6- Blue Rainbow - The Blue Comets vocal

7- Jupiter Special - The Spotniks

8-Furimuite Kyoto Vocal - Shigeo Naka

Pipeline Magazine’s Album of the Year- Spin the Bottle

Pipeline Magazine announces Album of the Year 2018

Frankie & the Pool Boys

"Spin the Bottle"

Of course, we are flattered and amazed to be selected. There were many excellent surf music releases this year, so we had lots of competition, though they are all our friends, so I hope we are inspiring each other to do our best work. 

There are only two fanzines that review surf music now– Pipeline and The Continental, which won't review our stuff because it's run by our label, Double Crown Records. (I do salute Sean Berry for his journalistic integrity!) Pipeline has been publishing for ever, I think four issues a year, so at #109, that's 27 years(?) at least. So, thank you to Dave Burke and Alan Taylor for the honor!

The band members must be recognized for their commitment to recording. Building the 20 songs took about three years. Each song went through a long process of refinement before we felt they were ready. Jonathan Rodriguez, Abraham Aguilar, Jono Jones and Karen Dobronyi. What a team!

Then our producer Dusty Watson made his thoughts known and really tightened our screws. Gary Mankin did a fantastic job recording and mixing, and Gary Hobish mastered us to satisfaction.The incredible Fred Lammers came up with images that perfectly captured our tone. Sean at Double Crown put the CD out and handles distribution. Then we took the show on the road with tour management support from Lorenzo Valdambrini, Vincent Minervino and Magdalena O'Connell, Jeff Hanson and all the club promoters. Thanks to all! - Ferenc

Here's the text of Pipeline's review in issue #109:

Spin The Bottle is Frankie & The Pool boys' third album on Double Crown and is a full hour's worth of music featuring 20 tracks. That's 14 new originals, plus two covers and four vocal versions. Fear not instrumental fans as the vocals are sequenced together after the 16 instrumentals so you can always bail out early if you wish.

Eschewing their earlier approach with numerous guest players, this time the Pool Boys cut all the instrumental tracks over one weekend with just the five members plus the legendary Dusty Watson producing. A front line of two guitars and organ facilitates both a wide range of sounds and some excellent arrangements, as guitarist Ferenc Dobronyi says: "There are fast ones, slow ones, some groovers, some art, some dopey stuff..." Well, I wouldn't go so far as dopey but there certainly is plenty of variety. What is quite remarkable, however, is just how approachable these original works are. Despite their substance, it's easy to get into them on first play, and they hold your attention, too. With such classy compositions and nothing reaching the four minute mark this is a rare example of an album you'll want to listen to all they way through, track by track, without skipping a single note.

Seafoam Angels sets the bar high with organ augmenting the lead guitar on this proud, uptempo melody. Poser is a snappy beater that's built over damped reverb picking, an effect which features even more on Tan Line Fever - a surf instrumental to treasure for sure. El Valenciano has a fast-flying double-picked melody, and organ leads of The Surf Coaster's Magic River with it's Bo Didley beat. With it's great cascading rhythm The Wet Season has a lead reminiscent of Davie Allan, only without his fuzz box) and on Fast Loud Hard too, this is a real screamer that drills its way into your head - in a nice way of course.

Hand 'em High is most tastefully delivered in the Booker T arrangement, and while Kill Devil Club is the only track that comes close to dopey it is rescued by its guitar sounds. In fact the array of guitar sounds helps maintain the interest throughout, especially on the expressive mid-tempo ballad Summer Cold with much feel in its playing and fine arrangement. Tumbling drums underpin the descriptive lead of Raise Hell and the instrumentals end with a blast as Pool Boy Stomp takes us all out with guns blazing. The four vocals follow, but don't miss Summer Cold featuring Kayla Fowler which is luxuriously sensuous with an exquisite guitar solo. Highly recommended.  Alan Taylor

7" Singles Spotlight

7” Singles Spotlight

Satan’s Pilgrims

Taco Truck / Neahkahnie

Double Crown / Hidden Volume

I always look forward to new Satan’s Pilgrims music, a band that seems to be reenergized and commited to extending their long and storied career. Their new music is just as full of life as songs from 25 years ago. This single has a good looking sleeve with bold colors and graphics. Liner notes are in Spanish, so they’re not much help to me. On these recordings, there’s little stereo imaging, except for a slight split on the rhythm guitars.

“Taco Truck” is an uptempo chugalugger. The opening notes suggest another song, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. After that, the dance beat propels onward, with steady 1/8th notes in the bass and rhythm guitars. This number adheres to a pop song format with a well developed bridge and short lead break.

“Neahkanie” is slower and darker, with an open arrangement so you can hear the big, natural room sound. Overall it has an epic feel, big as the mountain it was named for. Great song and really evocative of the trad sixties sound.

Satan’s Pilgrims

Splashdown / Dr. Mortis

Hi-Tide Recordings

Another excellent double A sider from Satan’s Pilgrims, who are building their catalog toward another singles compilation in a few years. More great cover art, this time with busty aliens. This single has a brighter fidelity than Taco Truck, so the instruments are more distinct, but the stereo pan remains minimal.

“Splashdown” is based on a repetitive riff in the verses and non-melodic call and response in the choruses. Big reverb tank kicks throughout are the hook. The whole song has a great flow and seems to be over way to soon.

“Dr. Mortis” is a creepy deal with a wheezy keyboard setting the tone over a locked down mid tempo groove. The layered guitars find their space, coming together for unison lines, but mostly sticking to the surf approved arrangement of one wet damped rhythm and the other more forward with the melody. I love how the song ends mid fade. I’m sure this song made it to quite a few Halloween play lists this year.

The Victors

Tinker Tailor / Taking You Down

Self Released - no web presence
I’ve never heard this band before, and the single was given to me because “I might like it.” I do! It immediately presents itself as late 60’s Raspberries power pop, though I’m sure their influences are much more obscure than my musical knowledge. I always prefer black vinyl, but I have to say that the clear vinyl is really swank. Great attention to details in the sound and presentation.

“Tinker Tailor” keeps the strong lead vocal out front, dripping with swagger. Crunchy guitars and Moon-y drums keep the song popping. It’s a got a real full sound.

Wow- the first few bars of “Taking You Down” are real ear candy. This song is much more modern than the A side, the melody flattens out, but the song blows up when the guitar solo enters. There’s a lot going on here, headphones are a must.

The Surfrajettes

Party Line / Toxic

Hi-Fi Recordings

The Surfrajettes have an image and authenticism that has brought them, immediately, to the fore of modern surf music. At this point, the mantle is theirs, if they want it. But released music has been slow in coming from the group which is now at least three years old. Seems like they have a crafty Svengali telling them that less is more, keep the people hungry, etc.  But, I expect that they have a really high level of quality control and choose to be careful about how they present themselves.

“Party Line” is a song poised to pop out of your speakers, with a long, nicely building intro that establishes the fun before the guitar melody comes in for the verse. If you expect a simple tune, you’ll be surprised to hear a dark bridge, then some nifty two guitar interplay, syncopated stops and finally a bass and drum breakdown in the outro. This song has a flow.

I’m happy to say that I’m not familiar with the original version of “Toxic” so I can take this version on it’s own merits. There are parts of this song that are delicious, especially the intro, the chorus, the pre-chorus with the hooks and the little solo. There’s a couple other parts that seem kinda stiff, like The Surfrajettes are trying to adhere to closely to a vocal arrangement. But, by my fourth listen, I can see how it all holds together. The guitar tones on this song are absolutely fantastic. Also, I see that the video for this song has a combined viewing of 7 million or so, so that makes The Surfrajettes THE BIGGEST SURF BAND IN THE WORLD.

Whateverglades

Side A -Player / Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad

Side B - What’d I Ever Do to You / Two More Bottles of Wine

No Egrets Records

Whateverglades is a Bay Area country band that rocks. (Country rock is something entirely different, right?) I don’t really have the country music vocabulary to be able to compare Whateverglades to other artists, so I won’t insult them, but I’m sure there’s other people doing this sort of shit-kicking, seems like a fun genre. They’re a great unit, just fantastic players all around, and they’re playing mostly originals. This 7” is packed with great music!

“Player” is a salty, Stonesy groover, with a strong lead vocal and lyric, playful and exuberant, this is a radio ready hit (if radio still existed.)

“Your Good Girl’s Bone Bad” has a two step roll and Duane Eddy guitar lick pushing an empowered lyric, in the tradition of country honk that is defiant out of necessity.

“What I’d Ever Do To You” opens with a nod to Nancy Sinatra’s “Boots”, and the vocal is just as expressive. Though the lyric is focused on the singer’s entrapment, she’s clearly going to be moving on soon.

Whateverglades are unafraid to draw comparisons with Emmylou Harris' as they take on her "Two More Bottles of Wine". That's dicey when a legend's song is so well know, but they make it their own, rocking it out and picking up the tempo a little. I thank them for not ending with a ballad (trying to show their range and sensitivity and such.)

The Kilaueas - "Touch My Alien" LP review

The Kilaueas

“Touch My Alien”

LP on Allscore  

CD on Double Crown Records  (available January 2019)

Listen and Download from Bandcamp.com   

A new Kilaueas album is always an anticipated and warmly greeted event. They’ve had a long career and earned well deserved love for their over the top live shows and consistently high-quality recordings. Their international touring has helped spread the legend, and Ralf Kilauea has big personality, whether he’s combing his hair mid-song, being an MC at the Surfer Joe Festival or pounding schnitzel with a Fender while wearing a bunny suit in YouTube videos. In social media, he’s outspoken and not afraid to take on surf music’s sacred cows or lampoon elitists. 

Following Ralf’s lead is an unbelievably talented and tight unit with longtime colaboraters Tom Kilauea on guitar, Jaque Kilauea on bass, and for the first time on a Kilaueas long player, Perzi Perzborn on drums. Perzi is a veteran of the German alt rock scene, and has toured the world over with his band Plan B. He is solid, sure-footed and inventive, as are all the guys. The sense of humor The Kilaueas exude has a way of coloring the band’s music, which bubbles with optimism and unexpected delights. Just look at the song titles and you’ll know these guys keep a positive perspective.

Musically, one thing that immediately sets The Kilaueas apart is that the second guitar, rather than playing a straight rhythm pattern, will often play a repetitive riff behind the lead, and engage in frequent call an response with the lead. By not mucking up the sonic space with constant 8th notes, there’s room in the arrangements to hear subtleties. Another trademark is the brevity and focus of the songs, not a shred of unnecessary fluff here. I didn’t review all of the 17 songs here (yes, you get your money’s worth!) but there’s isn’t a dinker in the bunch, this album is a blast!

Highlights from Side A:

A really strong opener with “The Ace of Space,” a heavily caffeinated rocker that, aside from everything else going on within it, has one of the coolest drum fills you’re likely to have ever heard. “Why Do Fools Fall in Lava” (great title) is tuneful and hooky, like a conversation between two lovers convincing each other to elope, and embark on a wondrous life together. Such drama! “The Twang Files” heaps menace over a dragging pace with spy themes heavy on the melodic minor scale. “Pe Langa Plopii Fara Sot” is chamber surf, starting out traditionally before the guitars dampen to elegant pizzicato– I can imagine dancers at a show having to invent waltz steps for this one. “R.F.T.P.B.T.O.N.R.” (they should make a contest to guess what those initials stand for) is the epic of this disc. It’s a slow, dark, majestic grinder with wonderful, completely analog sounding space effects, that builds and builds.

And the very strong B Side:

If “The Dark Wave Swells” is meant to poke fun at the Bambi Molesters album title, it’s surely an honor for them to have such a great song written in homage. “Touch My Alien,” isn’t space themed as you might imagine, but alien in the original meaning. The use of middle eastern scales, which even though, as surf music fans, we’ve heard in a thousand other songs, still sounds foreign and mysterious. (And then they hit you with a completely unexpected bridge.) I’m not sure why “Getaway Board” isn’t called “Imperial Surf Troopers” as suggested by the spoken introduction, maybe they're saving that title for a future song, but it’d be a bang up song even if it were called “Poop.” Last year’s hit single, “The Men from M.E.N.S.C.H.” appears here in a re-recorded version, losing none of the original’s vigor, and the addition of maniacal laughter spooks up the bridge (brilliant idea!) “Zambezi Nocturne” is sexy surf slow jam, filled out with vibraphone and congas, for those intimate moments that pop up 3/4 of the way through an instrumental album. “A Song Called Horse” leans toward Spaghetti Western, or may Spätzle Western in this case. I love the background vocals in the last verse. Following after is a reprise of “Horse” with acoustic rhythm and whistling for the lead, a very tasty finish to this delightful album.

The Imperial Surf Troopers do recon at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic:

The Men from M.E.N.S.C.H. video

Black Flamingos "Play Speedway and Other Hits" album review

Black Flamingos

“Play Speedway and Other Hits”

Hi-Tide Recordings 

Listen and download Speedway at Bandcamp

The Black Flamingos new album further explores their surf-noir sound, warmly filling the tracks with a bare bones rhythm section that places Robbie Butkowski’s lush guitar in the spotlight. There are some minimal, and always very tasteful side accompanists, padding a production that sounds period specific to the late fifties. The tracks have a natural ambience, and I don’t detect a shred of digital embellishment or trickery. Just some talented session cats sitting in a room together, making music.

“Play Speedway and Other Hits” is not an album that relies on gimmicks, shock or bluster. It has a tonal minimalism that focuses on the prowess of the lead voice. The arrangements are uncluttered, so you can really hear the reverb fall-off and the cymbal sizzle. I think every song is augmented by some kind of 4th instrument- an acoustic guitar or percussion- but they rarely repeat, and the trio remains the focus.

The first song, “Speedway" is the lone epic in the set, a slow burner starting with legato chords, then a two-step groove picks it up as the dragster engines alight The chorus shakes with additional tambourine, then featured breaks for the rhythm section and a crunchy lead guitar solo to kick it into high gear. 

After ”Speedway” the songs tend to be more focused in their scope. "Chicken Wire" makes me think of what a proto-Slacktone, with it's jazzy inversions and swinging beat, might sound like. “Rendezvous" picks up the tempo a little more, with Bukowski soloing over some crackling, reverb damped chords. Baritone sax introduces, then adds beef to “Haunted Hall” with it’s dramatic syncopations. "Malibu Run" is a stripped down take on the Richie Allan and the Pacific Surfers tune, revealing a possible source of inspiration for the Black Flamingo’s overall sound and melodic direction. "Kali Ma" is full-on exotica, with vibraphone as the second lead, over gently rolling jungle toms. This is one sophisticated composition!

The Black Flamingos "Okinawa"

As the needle drops on side two, the Flamingos downshift and the rpms peak as Butkowski’s tone thickens to feedback level on “Okinawa", which seems like it could have been a mid 60’s hit for the Ventures in Japan. Black Swan (not your pappy’s "Saturday Night at the Duck Pond”) is a new re-working of the Tchaikovsky theme, with guest fuzz guitarist Chris Barfield laying down the Davie Allanisms while Bukowski cleanly double picks around the elegant and iconic melody. Another cover follows, Mancini’s “Experiment in Terror” is downbeat but smile inducing, so different from the frantic Laika and the Cosmonauts version. “Shark Repellent” comes on strong with a trad surf vibe, again with a proto-Slacktone thickness to the chord inversions. Finally, “Eviler” twists the mind with a circular and confusion inducing melody, perfect as a cinematic coda to a strong set of material.

I must mention the sequencing of this album as being clearly well thought out as the tempos and intensity build then release, a brilliant flow on par with The Car’s’ debut album.

Declan O’Connell’s bass is always in the pocket; while he does take an occasional turnaround to shine, he keeps it busy, but in the background. In a trio format, he has a lot of room to move around without intrusion. I don’t know if he recorded with the short-scale Mustang bass he uses live, but he has a nice hollow tone here, passing for an upright in vibe. Drummer Vincent Minervino remains subtle and supportive, a model of restraint. I think there’s an old saying about the hardest thing to do is make it look easy, but that’s these guys in a nutshell, so very good.

Overall, The Black Flamingos’ “Play Speedway and Other Hits” is a pretty chill set. I keep thinking about the warm jazz albums on Blue Note– of course this isn’t jazz, but it has that honest, live approach where the musicians are hearing and playing off each other’s subtleties. It’s a great set.