Brave New Surf: 20-Track Compilation CD

Brave New Surf
Reviewed by: Duke

Brave New Surf is a fantastic CD. It brings together 20 great bands on one disc. Combined, they serve up a 20-course music feast fit for kings and queens. Their 20 instrumental surf tracks offer a superb listening experience that's filled with a variety of styles from around the world.

The liner notes that accompany Brave New Surf are amazingly thorough. The notes contain an informative biography of each band. A track list provides copious information about each song, the band who recorded it and their website address.

The liner notes also include an introduction by Ivan Pongracic (lead guitarist for The Madeira). He explores the history of surf music, its evolution and the resulting influence on today's bands and their music.

Get ready for fun and excitement as Brave New Surf entertains you with 65 minutes of world-class instro surf sounds.

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Wonderman From Intiö - El Supernaut knows surf, big wave type of surf. Power-packed guitar playing, rockin' rhythms, thumpin' bass lines and hot drumming make for a great surf tune and a great opening track.

Sea Of Glory - Reverb ... cool, thirst-quenching reverb. Sea Of Glory is awash in reverb as Los Twang! Marvels max out their tanks. Everything about Sea Of Glory screams surf. Los Twang! Marvels know how to deliver Neptune's goods. Sea Of Glory will intoxicate any surf lover with rapture of the deep.

Cherry Cheeks - Lively and bouncy, Cherry Cheeks evokes imaginings of warm summer mornings, surfboards strapped to woodies and days filled with surfing, parties and good times. El Ray's Cherry Cheeks is a fun tune, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Borgo Pass - Neat, spooky tune by The Coffin Daggers. You get the feeling that something ominous is waiting out there, somewhere, for that one foolhardy traveler who dares to enter Dracula's domain. Sooner or later one of those impudent souls will come along. They always do. Just ask our well-fed ominous friend. Dig the way that eerie keyboard adds spookiness to this frighteningly ghoulish tune.

Washout - Power, power and more power. I'm talkin' Thor's hammer type of power. Now imagine a 100 foot wall of water with the force of Neptune behind it. Add the crushing power of Thor's hammer to the mix. Stir in boatloads of reverb and dynamite playing. It's a great recipe, cooked to perfection by the Aqualads.

Momentium - I really dig the thrust of this song. The rhythm guitar drilling those reverb-laden eighths makes Momentium a very cool surf tune with a hot rod edge. Check out the reverb-soaked staccato attack at the 2:56 mark. An excellent track by The TomorrowMen.

El Palmero - Wild drumming sets the pace and feel of this terrific surf 'n' spaghetti number. The Phantom Four's creative arrangement combines the best of both worlds. Their liberal use of driving eighth notes creates intensity, the type of intensity that makes you wonder what's going to happen next. Sergio Leone would have loved El Palmero.

Mosquito Royale - The Atomic Mosquitos buzz bombed Brave New Surf with this fab surf track. I gotta tell ya, if I was lounging in my backyard and this group of mosquitoes wanted to take a bite out of me, I'd let them ... providing the itch cream was mixed with Mosquito Royale. High-spirited, fun tune.

7 Mares - Very relaxing number by Los Kahunas. 7 Mares has a pretty South Sea Islands flair. It's easy to daydream about clear blue water, palm trees, mai tais and hammocks. Speaking of mai tais, I don't know which is more inebriating, 7 Mares or mai tais. Oh well, it really doesn't matter. They both get the job done. On second thought, the edge goes to 7 Mares. I'm snockered on its sound.

As The Dark Wave Swells - An incredible track by The Bambi Molesters. It's like a 41/2-minute symphony, with many movements. Their remarkable arrangement, replete with horns, strings and piano, makes As The Dark Wave Swells something extraordinary to behold. The mix between surf and orchestral instruments is absolutely breathtaking. The drumming is perfect and accentuates the beauty. As The Dark Wave Swells has to be heard. It's amazing.

La Caja del Muerto - Rapid-fire, hard-hitting surf, with the kick of a bucking bronco. The Barbwires' La Caja del Muerto kicks ass and takes names. The strategic use of horns and strings adds to the muscle of this monster tune. La Caja del Muerto is potent, board-busting surf. Hang on for a great ride.

Ewa On The Beach - Smooooth. Man, this is one smooth surf song. Frankie & The Pool Boys are smoother than a glass lake. Ewa On The Beach would have been perfect in the 1960's television classics 'Surfside 6' and '77 Sunset Strip'. Ewa On The Beach has Hollywood written all over it.

Estratosfera - Lofty, mysterious and predatory surf, with the latent power of an F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber. Be sure to check out that super neat drumming at 2:03. The Thunderchiefs know how to play, big time. A great surf number, The Thunderchiefs reach the stratosphere with Estratosfera.

The Khazar - Better hold onto my bootstraps before The Secret Samurai blow me away. The Khazar is lightning speed surf music with a mind boggling array of double picking, glissandos, staccato attacks, pizzicato attacks, more attacks and then some. My bootstraps didn't help. I'm absolutely blown away.

Witch Doctor - This is a super neat song. The Madeira open it with a cool, rhythmically possessed bass riff. Then some haunting, tremolo laden guitar chords come forth. Now the mood for is set for what is to become an eerie midnight festival of mayhem and madness. Witch Doctor is the perfect snake oil for whatever ails you.

Walking Tall - The title describes it perfectly. Walking Tall has a proud, self-assured feel to it. It should be the theme song for any confident man. Walking Tall generates a feeling of happiness and all things positive. It's an uber cool track by The Eliminators.

North Swell - Surfer Joe pours on the coal with oceans of reverb, waves of shimmering tremolo and dynamite drumming. Check out that explosive drum solo at 1:25. North Swell is pure surf, powerful surf, what instro surf is all about.

Karabasan - Opens with a wicked drum solo that kicks this baby into orbit. The Deadbeats put the pedal to the metal and never let up on the gas. The power and intensity of Karabasan is totally overwhelming. This is Mount Vesuvius on steroids and it's all captured on CD.

Laser Runner - Daikaiju nailed me with this one. I was wearing my headphones and it felt like I was trapped in a video game. Something was there. I don't know what it was, but it definitely was there ... chasing me. As panic set in, I kept yelling at Daikaiju to let me out. Daikaiju's response? Turn up the power. Laser Runner kept growing in strength. That thing kept getting closer. My panic deepened. Then, just like that, it was over. Thank goodness it was only a dream ... at least I think it was a dream.

Floating Home - The Anacondas will relax you with this soothing, dreamy song. Floating Home is the type of music you can imagine being played as you drift, without a care in the world, on gently rolling waves at sunset. Margaritas anyone?

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Brave New Surf offers a truly great opportunity to hear the styles and sounds of 20 terrific surf bands. It's a veritable who's who of the bands making their mark on today's surf music scene. Brave New Surf is one CD you don't want to pass up.

Brave New Surf (Compilation CD)
Band	Song	Time
01) El Supernaut	Wonderman From Intiö	2:02
02) Los Twang! Marvels	Sea Of Glory	3:27
03) El Ray	Cherry Cheeks	3:07
04) The Coffin Daggers	Borgo Pass	2:58
05) Aqualads	Washout	3:22
06) The TomorrowMen	Momentium	3:47
07) The Phantom Four	El Palmero	3:43
08) Atomic Mosquitos	Mosquito Royale	2:40
09) Los Kahunas	7 Mares	2:20
10) The Bambi Molesters	As The Dark Wave Swells	4:34
11) The Barbwires	La Caja del Muerto	3:40
12) Frankie & The Pool Boys	Ewa On The Beach	3:06
13) The Thunderchiefs	Estratosfera	2:46
14) The Secret Samurai	The Khazar	2:53
15) The Madeira	Witch Doctor	4:01
16) The Eliminators	Walking Tall	3:02
17) Surfer Joe	North Swell	2:45
18) The Deadbeats	Karabasan	3:31
19) Daikaiju	Laser Runner	5:29
20) The Anacondas	Floating Home	2:35