The Coffin Daggers
Agravattin’ Rhythms
© 2016 Cleopatra Records
[rating: 9/10]
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I’m am giddy to no end listening to a fully instrumental Surf album by a band that has Viktor Venom (of Reagan Youth and Nausea) on lead guitar. Why wouldn’t I be? The idea that a vestige of 80’s East coast hardcore punk can transmute into some of the best “dark” surf music that I’ve heard in some time is, to say the least, incredible.
The one-sheet lets me know that all the tracks were recorded on 16-track 2” analog. How sweet is that? I kinda wish I would have had the album to review instead of the CD. If the digital version sounds this good, I can only imagine the vinyl is phenomonal!
Aggravatin’ Rhythms abely drops a lush soundscape of 14 tracks of riff-laden surf rock, the likes of which are rarely heard in this day and age. It’s strikingly reminiscent of foundational work from artists such as Link Wray and legendary guitarist Dick Dale. A more modern surf sensibility is certainly present as well and I can’t help but draw comparisons to by Man or Astro-man and Phantom Surfers.
I was listening to this album the other night and a description kept bubbling to the surface as I listened to track four, The Sinister Urge, “boozy apreggiated dive bombs are reverberating around the interior of my car only to launch into Gilmour-esqe soulful leads. Brilliant!” Sure it lacks some context in the middle of this, but I assure you that when you arrive upon said track, you’ll totally understand.
I’m not sure that I’ve done a write-up for an instrumental release in the past. This very well may be a first for me. So without knowing fully where to go with this, I’m going to go suggest that Aggravatin’ Rhythms by the Coffin Daggers is one of the finest surf albums I’ve heard to date. Seriously this album rocks. Get some!
https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/the-coffin-daggers-aggravatin-rhythms-cd/
Cheers,
Jerry Actually