Surfer Blood -- Astro Coast"If you're moving out to the West, then you'd better learn how to surf," advise the members of Surfer Blood in "Floating Vibes," the opening track of their debut album, Astro Coast. It's probably an analogy for some kind of life challenge, but I like interpreting it in a Weezerish sense, like, literally, you should probably learn how to surf if you want to live out here. It's pleasant and refreshing simplicity. The song dances through a lighthearted series of verses and guitar hooks, and when it ends, it catches you a little off guard -- it's content to end and declare itself a complete song without any tricks, curveballs, or lofty aims. Half expecting something along those lines, I was surprised to find myself quite satisfied at its end.
That's the beautiful thing about this album -- each song is succinct and structured, making its point and then shutting up. Even the longer-winded ones towards the end achieve some sort of shrewd economic balance of inputs and components that keeps them within the realm of the clear and concise. The six-minute-plus "Slow Jabroni" never sounds dragging nor drawn-out, and its buildup, climax, and denouement effectively summarize all of what Albert Hammond, Jr. has and hasn't accomplished in his solo career. Abounding in guitars but sparse on solos, these newcomers rely on good old honest songwriting, and the occasional crank of the reverb knob, to hit their groove. It works.
It's almost pointless to discuss influences or who the group sounds like, these are simply too broad and general; but since you asked, a couple prominent groups from the early 2000s with names of the form "The S____s" come to mind. In spite of such no-brainer comparisons, there's assuredly a Nineties twang -- a handful of the songs recollect the likes of early Weezer and Fountains of Wayne (suppress your laughter until listening to their first album), and even, I hoped I'd never be saying this, pre-emo pop-punk (Blink, etc -- no shit, right?!) on closer "Catholic Pagans." But the range of sound gets wider yet, and, wouldn'tcha know, they even take a crack at a few contemporary indie styles, most notably on the baroque-poppy "Take It Easy;" heck, sharpen the production and bring Ezra Koenig in to do the vocals, and you've practically got a Contra b- -- fuck that, a- -- side. Now, there's always a fine line between disciplined experiment with a variety of musical styles and slavish, insulting mimicry. Surfer Blood stay within their comfort zone for the most part on Astro Coast, but when they do take the occasional experimental step outside, it's always done with a "personal touch," delivered through the lens of the group's prevailing musical disposition.
While this has the effect of making Astro Coast an engaging listen, and a pretty friggin' good album, it also makes me very interested in their future. As much as it's necessarily a product of intelligent songwriting, I'm wondering if the concise and straightforward economy of their songs is also, in part, some kind of inherent newcomers' tentativeness: fresh-faced and unproven, they've got 40-odd minutes to make an impact, so they'd better make an impact and shut up. In the cases of Surfer Blood's S-noun forebears (Strokes and Shins if you haven't caught on), impact was made early on with such strict adherence to specific methods of songwriting and delivery; when each group took a jab at more complex and experimental song structures on their respective third albums, the outcomes failed to deliver on the levels the previous albums had. The opportunity for risk was endorsed only halfway, rendering the results awkward and, for the most part, disappointing fans and critics alike. When Surfer Blood reach that crucial third album, and their establishment affords them greater appetite for risk, will they remember the intelligent songwriting that brought us Astro Coast? Only time will tell. For now, we've got this solid debut to enjoy, while these guys revel in the exciting newness of where they are now -- which happens to be a live radio spot on KEXP in Seattle. Enjoy!
