Surf & Destroy

Take some Surf Rock, a bit of real Punk 'tude, a Peter Sellers mentality, Elvis, Beach Boys and a total disregard for sensitivity and you're pretty much prepared for Surf'n'Destroy. Released on August 1st you can now get your ears around this well entertaining bit of stuff and if you know the band already it's a good step up on their last release, Pot Sounds.

'Hey man, I'm a nuclear warhead!'. OK, fair point. It's dirty, fuzzed-up all the way, tongue-in-cheek and full of solid riffs - cool intro to 'Son Of Sam' - and some very scary moments. Notably where Fez is all Elvised up and growling in my ear 'Love Me'- na! - and his offer to take care of administering my personal prescription on 'I'm Your Doctor' was quickly and vehemently declined.

It's a good album and exactly what you'd expect from these guys: head-nodding, mosh-enducing noise and an effective mix of sounds. The Countried-up 'Kill Surf City' (with the stormin' threat of sufficient ammo in the chorus) to the Ramones-style 'Sloop John B' and much talked-about cover of 'Material Girl' with plenty of 'ba ba oo mow mow, ba ba oo mow mow mow!'. Made me laugh. If you want melody and delicacy then look elsewhere because with these 14 tracks you see what a life of excess can turn out.. Inspired by the kind of stuff they give you talks about in school; either this lot never went to school or were too busy round the back of the bike sheds doing research. It's available from gigs, HMV and all the usual.

dean saint john - www.thetalkmagazine.com

Lets hear it for the Sluts.

Rock is safe - its raw edges have been sanded away by Black and Decker - that is until you wander into a pub and come face to face with the Surf Sluts. They are the antithesis of safe rock. It's a credit to their showmanship and music that the Sluts pull audiences to their gigs cos the Sluts draw their influence from stuff that few people know, influences that are found limping deep in the back-stage shadows of rocks deeper slime-filled cellars.

They are witty, funny, ironic and ball achingly brilliant. I have no hesitation in recommending their new CD 'Surf and Destroy' and that you get your hands on it a.s.a.p. No life is complete without one. Just check out their version of Madonna's 'Material World' (yes that Madonna and that single). Kill Surf City is great and likewise 'Sloop John B' is a brilliant reworking of the classic Beach Boys tune. Another thing about this CD is that it's well produced and mixed. At last someone has created the right balance of instrumentation and vocals. So go out and buy a copy, it's light, bright and puts fun back into music - remember fun? It was big in the 60s!

One of my favourite albums is a compilation released in 1984 by Big Beat records, it's called Rockabilly Psychosis and the Garage Disease. At the bottom of the sleeve it says, 'The most devastating trip into the worlds most warped musical minds'. That line neatly sums up the Surf Sluts. Watching and listening to them is a bit like being hung upside down in front of a Marc Chagall painting whilst been fed equal amounts of magic mushrooms and marshmallows by the female guitarist of The Cramps dressed only in a spangled bra and fishnet tights! Now that's a trip and a half for yer!
Long may they reign over us.

Zircon Mercedes