“As the shadows of darkness creep upon us, the Surfin’ Criminal on his 350 Scrambler, rides the north-east motor speedway in search of his revenge,” states this Italy-based band in the inner sleeve of their most recent effort. Considering Greetings From The North-East Motorspeedway contains no lyrics, as it is an all instrumental album, let your imagination be your guide!
Starring Neno on guitar, Bosca on bass and Paco on drums, Surfin’ Criminals revisit the groovy gestures of old school surf rock with impeccable instinct and insight. Every track on Greetings From The North-East Motorspeedway produces an emotional impact, roping the listener into a sonic landscape bursting with feeling.
Plastered with twangy licks, raucous energy and slapping drum fills, “Roadsurface” and “Scrambler 350” mirror the freedom of a wild bird in flight, while the tip-toeing tension of “A Stroll With The Space Surfer” is duly dotted with cosmic sound effects.
Bright and sunny melodies, punctured with a couple of riveting breaks accent “Early Morning Coffee Flavour,” and then there’s “Motorspeedway,” which slinks along at a spookily cautious pace seething with anticipation. Set to a bubbly beat, “Pretty Little Chick” swings and shakes with fervor, where “Elvie Jo Puente” features rows of revolving start and stop rhythms in the best surf rock tradition possible.
Hard wired with daring arrangements and stinging hooks, the self-released Greetings From The North-East Motorspeedway maintains the flavor of standard surf rock while still managing to pump new life into the vintage format. Tight and together, Surfin’ Criminals certainly have their surf rock affairs in order, and here’s a sterling souvenir confirming what a boss band they are.
You can stream more music from the Surfin’ Criminals on their MySpace page.
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