Do you feel a nostalgic rush when you hear the drip of a vintage reverb unit enveloping the twang-angst of a low E string? Do you feel like half of a guitarist when playing a hardtail? If so, you are not alone. Even though beach music was at its peak in the '60s with a bit of a revival in the '90s, there’s still a strong array of bands surfing the mysteries of the backbeat. Here are three you might find exceptional in some way.
Los Straitjackets
For all-out instrumental prowess and tone, it’s hard to beat Los Straitjackets. Billed as “America’s Instrumental Rock & Roll Combo,” this band offers tight, modern productions that slip and slide around angular melodies and über-beefy guitar tones. Dressed in Mexican wrestler masks, they also front a great sense of humor in their marketing swag. Oh yeah, they’ve also recorded one of the coolest and menacing covers of “The Little Drummer Boy” you’ll ever hear.
The Aqua Velvets
Led by Miles Corbin, the Aqua Velvets reach deep into melancholia for inspiration with a dash of Latin percussion and psychedelia thrown in for good measure. Their tracks are often introspective, making solid use of space and small gestures to create their blend of minor-key surf rock. Without a doubt, they are among the finest of the modern crop of surf masters.
Corbin also has some fascinating solo albums, Musique De Paradiso and Sounds From the Tiki Hut, which dip deeper into the instrumental ballad side of things. A strong Spanish element is present on many of these tracks and the percussion and instrumentation makes use of drum machines, synths, horns and reeds.
Monsters From Mars
These guys possess a furious edge that’s part surf, part Holiday-in-Cambodia-era Dead Kennedys. Monsters From Mars seem to tap into the wall-of-sound production style of someone like Bob Mould rather than the typical surf acolytes of yesteryear. Powerful and awash in a sea of vintage reverb, they are truly the ‘Defenders of Atlantis’.