A quick shot of extra spacey heavy surf music is crashing your way with a new split from Cosmic Reef Temple and Shrinkwrap Killers.
Cosmic Reef Temple is a band of mystery, operating under aliases – according to the press release, the members are Wave Guardian Of The Reverberatory (guitar), Sub-Frequency Fractal Emitter (bass), Celestial Wind Talker (saxophone), Summoner of Galactic Storms (synthesizer), and Interstellar Time Keeper (drums). Instrumental in the creation of Surf Metal music, they have released a full-length album, Age of the Spaceborn, and a few splits. They contribute one song to this new issue, “Wave Constellation.” Surfy guitars starts us out, quickly joined by a peppy laid back bass line, then an eerie and beautiful saxophone. The second movement is a frantic speed / space / surf implementation with the saxophone becoming distressed. Part three is exposition, catching us up on the story so far while we drink coffee in a café somewhere in the Middle East. Toward the end we are looking back and wrapping up. You can hear the wind and the waves. Four minutes of instrumental wonderland.
Shrinkwrap Killers is Greg Wilkinson playing all the parts. The music is an evolving mix of surf and punk and whatever Wilkinson wants to put in there. The music is often heavier than what you usually hear in the surf lanes, and that is very appealing. On the split, there are two songs from Shrinkwrap Killers: “No Coordinates and I am Fucked” and “It’s Not a Dead Body Inside This Bag.” Both clocking in around the two minute mark, there is a lot packed into each expression, and the titles are strong clues to the feel of the pieces. The first song is a searching, lyrical guitar adventure. The second song begins like Part Two of the first, but the theme is not the same and it cranks off in a different direction altogether with electronic warbling crossing over between our listening ears, scarifying other sounds I cannot quite pin down, and a literal zipping up at the end. Journey complete.
Color me converted. Heavy Space Surf music it is. Recommended.
Out on Friday, October 2nd from Wave Guardian Records, the split will be available as a limited-edition seven-inch (black vinyl and translucent blue vinyl with 45RPM adapters) and as a download. Bandcamp is the place to make your choice.
Links.
http://waveguardianrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/waveguardianrecords
http://cosmicreeftemple.bandcamp.com
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