Surf City--Kudos--A Big Hazy Beautiful Noise

I am listening right now to Kudos, the not so recently released album by the New Zealand act Surf City, released on Arch Hill Record and also Fire. If you are a partisan of the New Zealand indie music scene of the 80's and 90's, there is probably no way you won't love this album. If you don't know much about Flying Nun Records and Xpressway, after hearing Kudos you will probably want to investigate. Surf City's sound is a throwback to some of the greatest groups of the era, like The Clean and The Chills. Undoubtedly there have been other bands to be inspired by these great Kiwi bands of the past, but Surf City really do it with so much panache and ability. In addition to being inspired by the classic music of their homeland, their songs are also influenced by noisy experimental/shoe gaze groups, like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain. Maybe its my broken eardrums, but I really can't understand a word of what they are singing. For me, what creates goosebumps are the big overdriven riffs so reminiscent of David Kilgour's guitar technique.

Kaleidoscope Swirled

Because noise can be beautiful. I probably realized this listening to groups like Sonic Youth and Live Skull.
Then there was My Bloody Valentine and the whole Shoegaze movement that followed, plus the dark majesty of noisy greats Bailter Space, who could fill up a room with an amplified low end racket as thick as syrup. It's quite clear that the members of Surf City understand what I'm talking about. The songs blend together in a hallucinatory fashion. They really sound great here. It's the first album out of New Zealand that I've heard in a while that really smacks me in the head. Even though they remind me of Kiwi bands and Shoegaze, in some ways their energy, vitality and inventiveness make them kindred spirits of Mission of Burma, who are pretty much one of a kind artists. Kudos is a truly excellent album, and the scary thing is that I think that these guys are just starting out. I think the sky is the limit with this band.



Davin Stoddard: Vocals, Guitar
Jamie Kennedy: Bass Vocals
Josh Kennedy: Guitar
Logan Collins: Drums

When I saw John Wesley Harding open for Ian Hunter recently, he explained his jokey title for his new album. He entitled it "The sound of his own voice", so that a reviewer would be compelled to say, for example, Robert Christgau loves "the sound of his own voice". I wonder if Surf City had the same idea, so that a reviewer would say Surf City---Kudos to Kudos. I always wanted to put out an album and call it "worst album ever", so some critic could say "the album fully lived up to the expectations of its title".



But all digressions aside, Kudos is an album well worth expending your filthy lucre on. I like the fact that they look to their own country's musical heritage for inspiration. Honestly, for a country that is, as they say "outnumbered by sheep", New Zealanders have a lot to be proud of. Listening to music, rather than listening to what people think you ought to like. And judging by Surf City the future is looking bright.

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