If you are longing for the beach days of summer and need a break from the gloomy winds of winter, then look no further than Swami John Reis and The Blind Shakeâs new album, Modern Surf Classics. Itâll transport you, cowabunga you, and shred you in a blaze of rippinâ guitars and pounding drums. Itâs 35 minutes of raw, summer tunes thatâll make you want to jump out of a plane and scream â100% pure adrenaline!â
John Reis brings his usual guitar sorcery to this record. Fans of Drive like Jehu and Hot Snakes will find lots to love here. Add the The Blind Shake into the mix and you have a really powerhouse jam piece, a classic sound with a rough edge. These guys gel perfectly and the results are mixture of both of their sounds. Despite the fact that there are little to no vocals on these tracks, you can hear Reis throughout. His tone and style is unmistakable.
A recognizable punk rock element makes this album work. Itâs not slick and overproduced. While it has those classic surf rock elements–the reverb, the occasional horns–Swami John Reis and The Blind Shake have also managed to produce a unique and radical sound. Itâs a barreling, yet strangely groovy, rock experience. It certainly has more in common with some of Reisâ bands than it does, say, The Beach Boys, which is perhaps to be expected. In other words, whether you plan one catching some tasty sets or not, Modern Surf Classics is an album worth checking out. Itâs reverb heavy and certainly surf infused, but make no mistake, this is a hard rockinâ endless summer. Itâs punk rock: fast and furious.