Tag Archives: Surfer Rock

LOS CUCHILLOS.

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Next up my Costa Rican musical journey are Los Cuchillos. If you ever wondered what The Cramps would sound like if they were from Costa Rica- listen to these guys.

Los Cuchillos have been going for well over a decade I think, and they still have this raw excitement to their sound. I love how their music just makes you feel good, and makes you just want to have a fun time. They have this great ability to make you feel like you could be anywhere in the world at any time with their music. They don’t sound like a typical “now” band, which is part of why I love them.

Just like The Cramps, these guys are ahead of their time. I did say they are like The Cramps, but I mean it in a gentler way sort of. There is definitely that haunting horror b-movie feel to the songs- you can sense a monster in slime about to emerge and chase you when you listen to Los Cuchillos, and it’s such a pleasure to listen to them.

Something I really do enjoy about them is their 60s Garage Rock sound. It’s a bit like The Count Five meets The Vagrants mixed with something else I can’t work out just yet, but I love it. Their song Monster Twist is probably my favourite right now. I love how the vocals are really gruff, but you don’t feel threatened at all, you just feel like you’re at some wild party where everyone is going bananas to the music. Los Cuchillos are definitely a band that you can totally let loose to and lose your mind to. I love their way of taking a style of music from decades ago and make it sound like something we’ve never ever heard before. You’ve just got to play these guys as loud as you can handle and let it go through you, and take over all of your senses.

For a band that a well into their career, they still make such exciting music and the kind of music you’d want to use as the soundtrack to your daily life. I love their record from 2014, Isla Macabro! It’s such a fantastic record and all eight songs are just so wonderfully performed and put together. You feel like you are right there with them when you listen to this record, like they are taking you by the hand or the scruff of your neck to go on this wild trip with them. I love the spookiness in this record (it came out on Halloween 4 years ago) and how it can creep you out in such a brilliant way. You’ve just got to keep on playing this one loud and let it take you out of this world. You really do. You won’t feel unsafe, but you’ll be pleasantly weirded out at times, and that’s just part of the charm of Los Cuchillos.

One song in particular I’m drawn to is Tarantino. It’s an amazing instrumental song that could have easily been used in Kill Bill vol.2 I love how their instrumental songs can really make you conjure up wild scenarios in your mind. I’ve gone back and forth with their discography, and I’ve really enjoyed hearing how their sound has evolved. I might be wrong, but I think Tony is the only original member of the band (forgive me if I’m wrong!) but don’t let that make you think that this isn’t a band without a vision. They truly do have a vision, and their music is a fascinating experience to have.

I love being able to hear how Los Cuchillos have grown with their sound, and although they’ve been going for around 13 years you just know that there is something else in them that we have not heard before. They are a band that are unafraid to really go for it and test themselves to create these Garage Rock masterpieces. Some bands you just cannot get enough of, and Los Cuchillos are 100% one of those bands.

Play loudly!

LAS YAKETS.

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I’ve been sent a few bands from Costa Rica to listen to, so my Saturday night is going to be spent listening to and writing about them. From the bits I’ve already listened to, I just know I’m about to write about some amazing bands who deserve to be heard. If like me, you’re scared of flying and have an out of date passport then let us both pretend we are at a Garage Rock show in Costa Rica watching the bands I’m going to write about.

First up are Las Yakets.

Las Yakets make 60s style sounding surfer rock that make you want to just totally lose your mind. Their sound is fast, annihilating and a joy to listen to. Their song Johnny Cash is so, so good. It’s one of the best songs that fall into that Garage/Surfer Rock sound. I hate the word, but Las Yakets make ‘fun’ music. They make you forget about your troubles and just make you have a really good time when you listen to them.

A couple of their songs are instrumental, and these songs are great. They make you feel as if you’re being hunted down in the desert and a gun fight is about to emerge. Before you know it, you’re being circled by a gang on horses pointing guns at you ready to take you out, or do some brutal damage. Then fight or flight kicks in, and you become the hero and you outrun them all. You stay on the run forever, however they will never get you. That’s what Las Yakets give you with their songs, especially the instrumental songs. This is where you can totally let your imagination go wild.

Las Yakets are another band that have been picked up on by Hero Records, and the music Hero Records has and is putting out is enough to bleed my bank account dry. I love how Las Yakets make every song sound like a drunk gathering. They make you feel like you’re at a dive bar surrounded by strangers but by the end of it, you’re best friends. They make you feel as if you’re out of control but in a good way. They ease any shyness or nervousness, and ease you in to this party feeling. You feel as if you’re in some dingy bar where closing time doesn’t exist and no one has any concept of time- it never ends. The music is enough to make you wish you could do this. Las Yakets are exceptional musicians and this most certainly shines on their instrumental songs, and definitely on the song Playboy (which is now my favourite because it’s just bananas!)

I’m not sure how long they’ve been a band but they do make you feel as if they’re a band that have been going for decades and are totally in control of what they want to achieve with their music. I love everything about them, and their music is make up of wild moments that just send you into a frenzy. Santananas is a minute and a half of screaming, which I just love and is definitely a great moment in their music for me. It’s a short song that just makes you lose your shit. Sometimes we all need that, and the screams help.

Their most recent release is the single, Dinamiat which came out just over a week ago. I think it’s taken from their new record which will also be out on Hero Records- I think. This song isn’t as nuts as what we were given last year, but you just know it is them and you know that this song live will be ridiculous. I love that they are a band that you know will put on a great live show; they create music that just needs to be blasted out in a live setting. You can imagine them just going crazy on stage, falling into the crowd and everyone being soaked in beer and sweat.

Las Yakets are such an exciting band, and one that is just a pleasure to listen to. If you’re looking for a band to sound track your social gatherings or to just trash your room to- Las Yakets are your go to guys. Their sound is wild, liberating and just so much fun to listen to. Scream the words with them and revel in their sheer greatness!

LOS CRVELES.

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What do you know about the Costa Rica Punk scene? Is it the same as me? My knowledge is piss poor, but I’ve just found an amazing band from San Jose and I’ve just got to write about how brilliant they are. They don’t sing in English, but who cares! Some of the best songs in the world are in a different language.

Los Crveles are a noisy band who can make you shit your pants with their exceptionally loud and earth shattering songs. They are out for your soul and whatever else you’ve got going spare. They have this wild ability to just mess with your brain, and I can’t get enough of it. I can’t compare them to anyone, and I wouldn’t if I could. However, if like me you’re a huge fan of The Mummies, then you’re sure as hell going to love Los Crveles. I love them, and I’m pretty sure it is going to turn into an obsession. I wish I was a millionaire so I could afford to fly all the bands I love over to the UK and get them some shows. For now, the records will have to do.

If I’ve researched carefully enough, then I think there are three of them in the band. They released Veneno Tropical in July this year and have two more releases prior. Their sound is incredibly addictive. I just want to listen to the screams and the excessively loud music on a loop. The way they make you feel like you’re in an old spaghetti western film, about to launch into a fight that began from a filthy look in a saloon bar is fucking insane. They’ve got this timeless sound. I don’t know what year I’m in when I listen to them, and I adore that about them.

Quema La California is one of their instrumental songs and if any song can capture a saloon bar brawl, it’s this one. It’s like the dramatic build up, and once it kicks in, you’ll have dust in your eye and gun smoke filling the air. It’s such a brilliant song. Sure it gives off some violent vibes, but there’s no maliciousness here. It’s just drunken cowboys having a good ol’ time.

Ritmo Infernal came out two years ago, and if you listen to that and put on Veneno Tropical straight after then you’ll totally see how this band have evolved their sound, and how they are undoubtedly one of the most exciting bands you’ll ever hear. Ritmo Infernal is only made up of five songs, but those five songs are just masterpieces. Again, it feels like you’re in a film. I don’t mean it in an atmospheric way- I mean it as if you’re in the film. You’re the villain perhaps, because being the hero doesn’t make it as interesting. Actually, be the underdog. Los Crveles are an absolute pleasure to listen to and to just have blasting loudly in my ear. Their songs are everything you’d want from a band that go against what is expected from a typical Punk band or whatever. They’re loud. Really loud but there’s more to them than that.

If you’re looking for a band that’ll make you think something has crept right into your soul and possibly possessed you, then Los Crveles are for you. They have so much power in their music, and it just deserves to be heard by as many people possible. I love how utterly fearless they are with their music and how they aren’t afraid to totally mess with the mind of anyone who listens to them. They’re loud, brutal and pleasantly demonic- it’s beyond Punk. It’s beyond any form of music genre. All I know is that I love them. A lot. I cannot wait to hear more from them, and I hope they just keep getting louder and louder.

SURF CASSETTE.

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Gone are the days where the best band to come from Italy were Litfiba. Gone are the days where you wrongfully assumed all Italy could produce musically, was awful pop music (Eiffel 65…I rest my case.) Italy is home to many great Garage Rock bands. Most have gone unnoticed but there are some such as Freez and Beat Degeneration that are giving us some amazing music. Another band to add to the list are Surf Cassette, a trio from Milan.

Surf Cassette make the sort of music you’d play whilst on a day out at the beach. They don’t make you feel as if you’re listening to a band from Milan. You get a real surfer/lo-fi feel from their music, and makes you think of bands from California that you love and cherish. If you love the likes of Wavves, then you’ll easily love Surf Cassette. Their songs feel like a comforting dream that you aren’t ready to wake up from just yet. Their songs are gentle in all the right places, and have glorious ethereal moments that make you just hit repeat constantly.  Wonder Woman is the song for me that gives off this real dreamy feel, and it’s a song that you can just get completely lost in.

Something I really love about Surf Cassette is their ability to really leave you in awe. The songs are beautiful, the lyrics are beautiful and the vocals are so gentle, and an absolute joy to listen to. You cannot help but feel completely relaxed and fall into a daze as you listen to them. With the rain falling hard in Manchester this evening, Surf Cassette make it still feel like summer with their blissed out style that makes you want to constantly be on holiday.

I love that they do not have a typical Garage Rock sound. They make you feel and think differently compared to others that make this kind of music. Surf Cassette are like that loyal friend who will wander around town with you, talking about nothing in particular, kicking empty cans on the pavement to unleash the boredom and people watching to kill time. They just have this really relaxed feel to their music, and the song Wasted in particular evokes all of this. It’s such a great song to just do a whole load of nothing to.  Lust For Life truly feels like a proper summer song as does Mess In My Head. If you’re lucky enough to live close to a beach, listen to these songs as you wander up and down, soaking up the sun.

There are some beautiful moments on the songs- especially vocally and if you can listen to these songs through headphones, then please do it. The vocals on Rebel are just perfect, and the sheer softness in the vocals and harmonies is just stunning. It really hits you when you listen through headphones, but don’t play it too loud. Just let the song take you over, and soak it all up.

As much as I love music that I can play as loud as I possibly can/can stand, Surf Cassette strip that away. They’re a band that are easy on the soul, they are good for the soul. You don’t need to play them ridiculously loud in order to appreciate how beautiful their music is, but you know- feel free to do so. They make music to waste days to- either on your own or in the company of someone that you cannot get enough of.

They put out a new song, Like A Drug back in June and it’s one of the best songs you’ll hear this year. It’s everything you want from a summer anthem, and you’ll want to keep listening to it- even when the summer fades away and it starts getting dark at 4pm. I can’t get enough of it. I just adore everything about this song, and the band. Like A Drug is easily up there as one of my favourite songs of the year.

I don’t care if it makes me biased, Italy has some amazing bands out right now. For me, the holy trinity is Freez, Beat Degeneration and Surf Cassette. Oh, and I’ll through Sonic Jesus in their too.

Milan may be known for its part in fashion, but Surf Cassette are better than any fashion trend. Listen to the music, and let yourself get completely immersed in it all.

FREEZ.

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I’m not counting the days or anything, but I am leaving London for good soon. FINALLY. I can’t wait to not work just to pay rent, which is what I do now and it is no way to live. Anyway, with that aside it is important I find a band to pack to. A band to let my mind drift off rather than sort my life out. I’ve packed my books away already. Three big boxes full. I need a band that can make such a dull task less boring and less irritating. I give you the finest band from Northern Italy, and that band is Freez.

Freez are an incredible band from Schio which is in the Vicenza province. They are 4 friends who make music that send your mind and body off into a whirl. They are easily one of the best bands from Italy right now. I massive rate this band and also Beat Degeneration (who I’ve already written about.) Freez have this brilliant and effortlessly cool sound. There’s nobody else quite like them, and what I really love about their sound is that it just makes you happy right away. The lyrics at times may ooze the boredom of every day life but nothing is ever perfect, and they create the perfect balance of this. Their sound isn’t heavy but there is definitely some Punk undertones in their sound. They do make you feel like hanging out at the beach doing nothing all day, and that’s something I really enjoy getting from music.

The vocals are distorted in all the right places and are mixed beautifully with a relaxed guitar sound. It’s such a clichéd and annoying thing to say, but they really do have a blissed out sound. Freez do have a real summer feel to their music, and it is such a joy to listen to. Freez have perfected this surfer rock sound in a way that would make those who have tried to do so, quite envious of them.

They are most certainly a band that come alive at their shows. A band that you just have to see live in order to really appreciate how great they are. I have no idea when or if they’ll come to the UK but at the moment they are on tour in southern Italy and heading to France.

Routine was released last February and it is such a great record. It has everything you could possibly want from a band who make this style of music, but at the same time they definitely aren’t shy with experimenting with different sounds, and to really push themselves. The cassette was a limited release and came in three colours (white, peach and surf green.) Although there are only 5 songs, it is more than enough to make you fall in love with their music. Freez make music for you to waste your day to. Well, personally I don’t see it as wasting a day but others might. Some days you just need to do a whole load of nothing, and Freez are the band to do nothing to. Witch is my favourite song from the Routine tape. I love the urgency in it and how ferocious it is. It’s probably their heaviest song so far and it is one that I find myself constantly playing over and over again.

There is really no point in me naming bands that you could possibly compare Freez to- that just strips away the effort and passion they put into their music. They are such a young band who really do have such a promising future. I absolutely adore their sound and I love how they just fuse together a surfer rock sound mixed with everything in between to make something of their own. If you feel like going on holiday this month, then head to southern Italy to see them or France if you feel like it.

In my biased opinion, Freez are amazing. I cannot wait to hear more from them.