Paul Lawton passed this Korean Gut single on to me at a show he was doing with The Ketamines over a year ago it seems like now. It's always so generous of anyone to share their releases and he handed me a handful at their show to have a listen to when I could get a chance. This is long sold out from Paul's label, Mammoth Cave Records and the band have since broken up but I still wanted to make sure anyone interested in an instrumental surf Tiki Men sound would seek this out on discogs or one of those auction sites.
On A-Side's "Your Misery, Our Benefit" a couple of notes open the melody into the staple primitive stomp rhythm, blown out and recorded by Paul himself with the jangle and static high ranges emphasized for that frantic feel. When they sat down to actually record this the mics caught TOO much of the hardcore surf sound, hitting that melody and then riding it like those waves in to shore. "If You Want" has all that garage hissy sound of Frankie and the Outs and her tambourine on the toms. The bass really barrels through - even at 45 it's dominating the entire waveform and peaking brown tones on the speakers. Like the Ar-kaics they nail that modern loose garage sound switching gears, still incredibly precise and complex but shaking it at the same time. Whistle track in the left channel, a descendent of the Shannon and the Clams sound with doubled up serious vocals. Strong reverb and a perfect fit for a member of The Ketamines to committ to tape or hard drive - whatever.
B-Side's "The Creeper" opens into a low end splash. That's the thing, it's like the middle has been cut right out of this and I really like the place these lyricless tracks get to, swampy and southern weeping willows at midnight with a hint of those waves breaking, a merging of voodoo and surf boards? "Gingold" has a fast countoff into huge tom hits and whoops from the band in the back of this instrumental quickness with an acoustic and that lead electric riding more in the middle. They get the rhythm going and find that tiny sweet spot to slide a lead melody, the echo always strong, with more of a chorus sound. Sounding almost eastern influenced with this particular cluster of minor key elements but that hollaring from the back of this room is exactly how this track should feel. The cymbals and high crashing parts are muted in favor of this run straight down the hill as fast as possible. You get excited and your legs start to give up they can't run any faster and that fall is coming.
Get this from your collector scum back alleys.
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