Other than in reverence to the guitar mastery of Dick Dale, I have never really understood the continuing popularity of instrumental surf music but, like many things with an expired shelf life, the genre continues to generate interest throughout the world with the UK contributing Surfquake and their new album “Quake Up!”.
“Quake Up!” is, fortunately, a good natured album that mixes covers and some originals that combine to the benefit of beer consumption and, sonically, it will be no surprise to find out that Surfquake worship the god of reverb but, to their credit, they still find the time to occasionally drift away from the beach and venture into rather quirkier, and trashier, B52s territory.
Of the songs, the cover versions win with “Wipeout! Batman” and, oddly enough, “Sabre Dance” likely to spend the longest amount of time in the sunshine.
The verdict? A likeable album to get you through the summer.