Susan SurfTone – Shore (Acme Brothers Records)
It’s usually fairly easy to form expectations for any band that utilizes their genre name within their stage name, a point borne out by Metallica, Funkadelic, and the vast majority of ska bands that ever existed. It could be argued that this is a self-defeating measure, as it instantly pegs an artist’s whole body of work, but it can just as easily possess an inverse function by establishing a baseline of expectation from which the artist can deviate as he or she sees fit. This is more the territory in which Susan SurfTone operates on her most recent release. It is without question an entry into surf rock’s canon, but it’s one that side-steps a great deal of the retro fetishizing and garish camp that often accompanies genres so heavily indebted to the past.
Susan SurfTone – Shore (Acme Brothers Records)
It’s usually fairly easy to form expectations for any band that utilizes their genre name within their stage name, a point borne out by Metallica, Funkadelic, and the vast majority of ska bands that ever existed. It could be argued that this is a self-defeating measure, as it instantly pegs an artist’s whole body of work, but it can just as easily possess an inverse function by establishing a baseline of expectation from which the artist can deviate as he or she sees fit. This is more the territory in which Susan SurfTone operates on her most recent release. It is without question an entry into surf rock’s canon, but it’s one that side-steps a great deal of the retro fetishizing and garish camp that often accompanies genres so heavily indebted to the past.
As explained by the artist’s statement on the album’s back cover (not a common inclusion with any such album), the intent was to mix a variety of subcultural currents – the obvious surf rock elements, rockabilly, early punk, blues, and psychedelia all get mentioned, though it can be difficult to determine how successfully each is integrated. I can’t really speak to the way that dropped names like the Velvet Underground or Jimmy Reed make their stamp apparent, but the willingness to move beyond simple Ventures worship alone seems like a testament to the artist’s ability to work within certain genre confines without remaining static.
Probably the most surprising element to Shore is its subtlety, a component never heavily prized by surf music. There is little in the way of flashy Dick Dale-style guitar work or attempts to wholly recreate the aesthetic of the original bands from the genre. This isn’t to say that the music is poorly performed, however, and Susan SurfTone’s guitar playing demonstrates an emphasis more on the songwriting and group interaction than the contributions of any single member. While there isn’t much that immediately jumps out and grabs a listener, Shore goes a long way towards demonstrating the manner in which a genre like surf rock can move beyond one trick pony status towards something less stylized and adhered to the past.
