This isn't a review per-se. I've listened to it only one or two times. I knew from the comments of others it wasn't a "surfy" Surf Coasters album, so I was bracing myself.

The first song really was not my thing at all. Yeesh. I was ready to put it away after that, but I'm glad I continued. After that first song, I did enjoy some of it. The second song in particular was pretty good I thought.

I'll post more thoughts later as I listen to it some more, but I was eager to hear what everyone else thought. Don't let what I wrote influence your opinion.

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i posted this elsewhere.........

i'm listening to the surf coasters for the second time right now. definitely not the same sound as 'samari struck', the only other cd of theirs i have. i'd say more of a rock instrumental cd than surf. the first tune not my favorite, but the next two i like. tune 4, playing now, slows things down quite a bit and then picks up the pace. the closing tune 'yume no ato' is a nice surfy closing number........ sad to have missed seeing them.

www.surfintheeye.com

very rock,
definitely some different styles in there.

1st song, Joe Satriani ish
2nd song, kinda Mermen ish
3rd song, surfy in a modern rocky kinda way.
4th song, surfy and prodding, like a modern euro song.
5th song, very rock, and with a cowbell, ugh.
6th song, Satriani ish again,
7th song, Mermen / Insect Surfers-ish ala Polaris.
8th song, Very Laika ish, (I like this one a lot)
9th song, Acoustic but sounds like digital processing on it,
new age surf???

Over all the cd is growing on me, I like somg songs alot, some songs a bit,
and some songs not so much, glad I got it to keep my collection of them
almost full, but not going to put it in the top 5 of the 25 or so they have done.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Tom,
I think they had their sound, most of the cds they did between the 1st to the 20th were pretty consistent,
though there was the techno remix cd, the ep of French songwriter Paul Marriott (sp?) and slight forays into 60's psyche pop and a bit of Light Garage. for the most part he had a modern heavy DD sound.
except for of course the Roundabout video game soundtracks, that Warren
mentioned, are kinda hard rock, metal sounding.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Most of the stuff they have done is surf.

then there is little forays into the other styles mentioned.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I like this album quite a bit, actually, which surprised me. My first introduction to a few of the songs was when I saw the guys live in San Jose, and I thought they were acceptable, but perhaps mostly for the lively performance the guys gave. My first listen through the album itself actually made me cringe through most of it, but no sooner than the second listen most of the songs started growing on me, and by the third time around I was nodding my head and tapping my foot along with. I think it helps to not approach "Outside Break" as a surf album, rather as one of the Surf Coasters's "other" albums (there are no telltale waves segueing into reverb crashes and screaming girls here). I like their surfier material so much (and there's so much of it) that I'm usually willing to forgive them the weirder stuff, and this album pretty much falls into that category.

The first song sounds like it's been having trouble grabbing people, but I actually like it. No not surfy at all, but it's really upbeat, which I guess is enough to win me over in this case. Maybe I'm swayed for having heard it live (I'd just like to rub that in one more time ).

What people have said about the second song "Breakout" sounding like the Mermen is very true. That's the first thing that hit me about this song. At times it sounds straight out of "A Glorious Lethal Euphoria" which, as it just so turns out, is my least favorite Mermen album, but I still do like it, quite a bit actually. In fact, at 3:24 in the song, there are two measures that are the same as one little bit in the bridge on the Mermen's "Scalp Salad." I'm not crying plagiarism here, but there is some pretty interesting overlap in the two bands' sounds on this track.

The third song is good but not great. Doesn't jump at me in any special way, but I can listen to it all the way through without getting bored or angry or anything.

The next song, "Refraction," starts off pretty soft and kinda delicate. It's pretty, but I think things get more interesting after roughly 1:30, with a lightly vibrato-laden melody followed by extra umph and grit and a solo. Cool drum break too. I'm just realizing as I write this that if it weren't for the repetition of the first (prettier) part, this song would be entirely through-composed. I don't know if any of the other songs on the album are, and I don't feel like investigating through the entirety of the album, but I just thought that was kinda interesting. Anybody know of any other through-composed songs in surf?

The cowbell song is the biggest "meh..." moment for me. It's crunchy and unmelodic. Not straight up bad, but not overwhelmingly interesting either.

I actually like the sixth track a lot. I don't have a good reason why, but I do... so there.

"Gloom" marks the Surf Coasters's last foray into soundscaping. It's not really a song at all. I guess it's kinda like the Mermen's "The Whales," but less melodic. They've done this kind of stuff before, but usually just as an intro to another song. It_ is_ pretty gloomy sounding, I'll give them that.

"Drifter" might be my favorite song of the album. It starts off with a very vaguely spy-like melody, broken up by crunchy chord breaks. I like the false stops and I loove the runaway ghost train bit. Dark and driving and atmospheric and pretty damn cool, definitely my favorite minute-or-so of the album. Then a whole slew of rhythm changes closes the song out, which I came to like after knowing what to expect next.

I guess "Yume No Ato" is the world's final farewell to the Surf Coasters, which may well be why it's on the melancholy side. I just found it a bit sappy though , maybe because it's acoustic.

Latherman87 wrote:

I decided to see if anyone here is familiar with that specific effect.

Multiple guitars with various delay settings and either volume pedal or he's soothing the volume in/out on his guitar I would guess.

crumble wrote:

Latherman87 wrote:

I decided to see if anyone here is familiar with that specific effect.

Multiple guitars with various delay settings and either volume pedal or he's soothing the volume in/out on his guitar I would guess.

The thought of a volume pedal never crossed my mind! I'm gonna have to research that,thanks!

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