Customer Reviews

Surfin Ussr (Dig)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the record, there is very little in this that is suggestive of actual surf music. What Farmers Market is really doing is taking complex gypsy-like melodies and giving them a full-tilt uncompromising jazz-rock treatment with horns and guitars. This type of music sounds like the urban American wise-guy music of the 1990's where young, irreverent, highly talented musicians from the alternative youth culture got together and provided a social scene for students and intellectuals who wanted something quite a bit different from the punk rock of that dominated at time. The only song here that truly has any of the primitive guitar twang associated with California surf music is the title track, much of which has kinda the feel of a rip-roaring saxophone rant over something like a James Bond soundtrack. Also, if you think of surf music as involving Jan-and-Dean style close crooning harmonies and typical beach/car/my-girl themes, there's none of that here at all. On a couple of the songs, the band's lead singer puts in some vocals that to me don't really add much to, or take away much from, the music. However, on another couple of songs ("Yagoda", "Dissident Harmony Sisters") there are some female vocals of the Eastern European style that always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. That's quite good but is given more of a folk accompaniment in each instance. As for cover songs, there is really only one: Ferry Cross the Mersey, which is rendered "Lodtschitze mini Maritza" and somehow manages to include some appropriate lush orchestration. The title track is not a Beach Boys spoof or cover, and if any of the other tunes are covers they are too obscure for me (a wise-guy American) to have any familiarity with at all. I like this music a lot, although I sense Farmers Market may have the potential to put their sound together a little more fully than they have done here. I mean for me they don't really sustain a feeling of completely nailing the guitar-horns-gypsy confluence to a pinnacle of witty excitement, but this is a great start and some fine music.

Crazy rythms and a funny way of doing cover versions of more or less famous tunes. Includes original music, but the cover versions are so creative that they count as original music.

Sometimes, though, it seems like they are just showing off.

This is surf music fused with Gypsy music. Conceptually the CD is a masterpiece. The idea of fusing Surf music and Gypsy/Bulgarian wedding music is just brilliant. While it might sound a bit out there, there are quite a few similarities between the both styles, most notable is that both genres feature runs of single note solos at breakneck speeds. The leader of the group, Stian Carstensen is an accordion player from Norway. The other two featured soloists are Nils Olav Johansen on guitars and Bulgarian reedist Trifon Trifonov. The highlights of the album are the many occasions where the 3 soloists trade off on blazing fast rifs. To round out the CD there is a touch of humor and a touch of a few other genres. The album titles and themes are a spoof on the main concept of Surf music and Eastern Europe/USSR during the cold war. In addition to the surf and gypsy music there are also a few touches of eccentric Asian music and blue grass (w/ banjo playing) throw in. A few or the tracks feature vocals that are actually quite good, but most of the album is w/o vocals. Here is the lineup.

Stian Carstensen - accordian
Nils-Olav Johansen - guitars, vocals, & banjo?
Jarle Vespestad - drums
Trifon Trifonov - saxophone & clarinet?
Fin Guttormsen - bass

If you like Gypsy music and Surf music, this is a must have. On the other hand if you are looking for something serious or authentic Gypsy music you should pass on it.

This album is phenomenal. It has the personality of Musikk fra Hybridene and the flavor of the Winter and Winter release. As usual, there is great diversity of genre and astounding technical proficiency throughout. The production quality is noticeably high as well.

I feel like the album gets off to a bit of slow start, but the last nine tracks are top notch true to form. "Meanwhile, Back at the Agricultural Workers Collective" and "Framling" (Ladyboy's night...) alone are worth the price of admission. Also notable are "Dissident Harmony Sisters..," "From Prussia with Love," "Red Square Dance," and "One Day, son.."

This was worth the wait.