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VARIOUS ARTISTS
SWIVLIN' WAHINE (Skully)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Better late than never, but there's just about no excuse for how late this review is. The CD sat in the "done" shelves for months and nobody bothered to put away the reviewed CDs until the shelves wouldn't hold them anymore. (There were two other unreviewed CDs in there, but they sucked, so it didn't matter.) Swivlin' Wahine will go down in Cosmik history as the (dual) CD that prompted a company policy and blew us away, all in the same day.
There are 35 bands and 35 songs here, and to be honest there are really only a few that I have no desire to hear again. This is surf - some of it straight forward, most of it powered by punk energy as compelling as any riptide you've ever drifted into. There are a few ultra clean tracks for those who seek such things, like Slacktone's "Gung Ho For Don Ho," but if that's your only taste bud, steer clear. It segues into the spooky theremin-charged "Zombie Creep," by The Papaya Kings," and that's the standard fare.
The music comes from all over the world, including The Waistcoats from Holland, The Redliners from Australia, Urban Surf Kings from Halifax, Nova Scotia, The Lonely Knights from the Netherlands, Jonny & The Shamen from England, Da Surftones from Spain and Los Mel-Tones, who move around a lot, but at the time of this recording came from Montreal, Canada. Coolest name goes to another Canadian band, Dirk Doom & The Overdrive Orchestra. Unfortunately, they play one of the few tracks that really needs serious help here. Hint: when a song has few ideas and the musicians can barely handle the hooks, don't stretch it to over five minutes. 1:50 would have been a good idea. It's made up for with nearly everything else, however. Not everything is spot-on as far as recording goes, but that's half the charm of punk-influenced instrumental surf music.
Let's face it: this genre is fantastic, but while you could find tons of it just one year ago, it's now scarce. The third wave is in trouble. There'll be a fourth wave, but until then we'll have to get our fixes from the faithful who continue to make the good stuff, fully aware they're not going to make any scratch on it. Here's to the bands and the labels who will keep it alive. And to the fans of instro surf who will pick this up to let them know somebody's listening. Besides, it's another opportunity to hear Brazil 2001, Los Mel-Tones, Slacktone and The Exotics at their best. [Go to www.skullyrecords.com to find this recording.]
Track Listing:
Disc 1: Jonny and the Shamen (S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Girl) * Glamour Puss (Space race) * The Swamis (Swami Shot) * The Supersonicos (Execute Plan A) * Slacktone (Gung Ho for Don Ho) * The Papaya Kings (Zombie Creep) * The Balboas (Mt. Olive) * Voodoo Court (Fun Love In A Thong Bikini) * Call Me Pepe (Mayday Malone) * Brazil 2001 (Girl From Orange County) * The Exotics (Taste Of Honey) * The Del-Vamps (Monkey Surf) * Partia (Pociag Do Nikad) * Las Patatas Bravas (Return of the Thin Man) * Reach Around Rodeo Clowns (Bad Dudes A Surfin) * The Redliners (Crime Scene) * Austin Transit Authority (Bock’s Car)
Disc 2: The Vibro Counts (Voyage Around The Moon) * Lonely Knights (Crash) * Urban Surf Kings (Giant Cow) * The Lucky Shoes (The Wedge) * The Bone Sharks (Shark Byte) * Mill Valley Taters (Hey Mr. Rock N Roll (part 4)) * Captain Bigwheel (Barbecue Gone Bad) * Dirk Doom and the Overdrive Orchestra (Come Get Some) * The Waistcoats (Trailspotting) * The Deadcats (Dragstrip 69) * The Aquamen (Rioja) * 3 Balls of Fire (Island Girl) * Aqualads (Hotbox) * Splashback (Over The Edge) * Los Mel-Tones (Breakers At Hanalei) * Swamp Donkeys (Viva Sateanico) * Plank (South Sea Island) * Da Surfones (Solo Surf)
© 2001 - DJ Johnson