Laika and the Cosmonauts

Hey kid, you say you like surf? You say all the bands out there sound the same? Well here's something different for you, over an hour of sometimes serious, sometimes cartoon-ish and sometimes just plain freaked out instrumental rock. Can you take it? Can you dig it? Do tracks like "Synchophant " leave you feeling disoriented? Well they should! They're more like scary circus music than any Dick Dale tune. How does the Eastern Block aggression of "Look No Head" hit you? These Scandinavians are accomplished studio musicians and have been playing together for about ten years, so it should come as no surprise that their fifth full-length should be so full of quirky and original sounding music. Tracks like "Disconnected" add new juice to the old form and use blippy, modern production tricks. "Rough End" could almost be mistaken for a groovy vintage European soundtrack piece, while the five-minute "Silenzio In Disturbistan" borders on trip-hop. Don't get me wrong, there is more traditional sounding stuff here as well, but it all pales in comparison to the pieces that take more of a risk and succeed. This record was done in 1997, but is only now available in North America, so it makes one wonder where these guys' sound has gone since then. A good record for the burnt out surf fan.