Papineau Podcast

As the title implies we take a look at a few tracks from our upcoming project which will be released on date to be determined; in the spirit of the holidays here's a sneak peek. Thanks for keeping up with all our stuff!

The Mermen are a contemporary surf/psychedelic power trio that formed in 1989. Their music is not pigeon held to any one genre, however, and usually flows between punk, stoner metal, and even rockabilly in addition to surf and psych-rock. At The Haunted House does a fantastic job of capturing live, off-the-floor, energy and is reminiscent of that classic diy sound; but performed at a higher level than one usually gets to hear from most local diy acts. Great for headbanging alone, probably even better live. 84% on the Lobster Meter.

The Surfrajettes don't have many releases at the time of this episode but this Toronto based, all women, surf rock quartet is very creative musically and very savvy branding wise. A full length would be nice to have, but in the meantime their seven available tracks will have to do; at least until their label, Hi-Tide, throws them the cash for something bigger.

The Fathoms are Boston based veterans of the surf rock genre who have some serious musical abilities. A product of the surf revival decade, Overboard (1998), showcases their chops both on their instruments and song writing. The catchy tunes, musicality, and solid mix elevates what could have been "just another surf album" to "Hold on a sec; I like this part."

At the time of writing this, Siniestro (2017) is the latest studio album by the Oregon natives, Satan’s Pilgrims. Getting back to their roots and playing in straight ahead surf rock style, the album is adequate but seems to lack inspiration; the Pilgrims have certainly gone more adventurous in other parts of their discography. The vibe and atmosphere is nothing less than quintessential surf, however, and so it can act as a quick fix for anyone jonesing for such a sound.

Destroy All Astromen (1994) is a compilation album released in the early days of Man or Astroman's career. It compiles many singles the Alabama surf rockers had recorded the year prior in 1993; it's riddled with cartoon samples, heavy distortion, and reverb. It is clearly a product of its time (as discussed in the episode), and a must-listen for any self respecting surf-punk aficionado with a love for things outer space.

Laika & The Cosmonauts were an innovative Finnish surf rock band that enjoyed a lengthy career from 1987-2008. In that time they recorded movie soundtracks, toured the US and Europe multiple times, and recorded nine albums. They are fondly remembered by their cult following.   Local Warming (2004) shows off how much of the surf conventions and aesthetics the band had internalized over the years in addition to their talent for creating fusion sounds by drawing from many other genres. Totally forgot to compare and contrast NY '79 to Spanish Bombs. Whoops.

Since their start in the mid 90s, Los Straitjackets have gone on to become a staple of modern surf rock; adored with their iconic luchador masks and suits, they are unmistakable in look if not also in sound. Channel Surfing (2019), shows off their arranging prowess and tickles a funny part of the brain after one hears these TV show theme songs in a new context.

Contemporaries of Les Megatones, Les Jaguars were the other bigwigs of the 60s Quebecois surf rock scene. Although they would originally break up in 1966, band leader Arthur Cossette would carry on recording studio albums under some iteration of the band's name throughout the decades that followed. The most recent of which was the album Appalaches (1996).

Talkin' bout them dang ol Megatones, one of Quebec's most prolific garage/surf rock acts from the early 60s; (Yes, that is a very specific title to have but man do they sound cool). Settle in as we discuss their debut album Voici Les Megatones (1962)