Review Summary: One step forward and two steps back
Surfer Blood is an interesting outfit. They stormed onto the indie scene back in 2010 with “Astro Coast,” a catchy and chilled out -- if mostly forgettable -- summer record. Then, instead of resting on their laurels and pumping out more of the same, the band released “Pythons,” a 34-minute, cathartic exercise in phenomenal, Weezer-esque rock.
Which brings us to “1000 Palms,” the third record from the Florida based four-man band. And, after playing this record to death, I’m saddened to report Surfer Blood couldn’t recreate the indie rock magic they captured on “Pythons.”
The album clocks in at a brisk 37 minutes, and starts off in promising fashion with “Grand Inquisitor,” an angsty track that combines rumbling drums with reverberating guitars to great effect. This is followed up by “Island,” a song that begins with laidback bass lines and crooning vocals before transforming into a diverse amalgamation of distorted guitars riffs and rhythmic drum lines.
Yet, despite a strong opening, the album begins stagnating as soon that song finishes. “I Can’t Explain” repeats itself to distraction, and after a bit of a pick-me-up from the introspective “Feast/Famine,” the rest of “1000 Palms” is mostly unremarkable.
Songs like “Point of No Return,” “Dorian,” and “Other Desert Cities,” aren’t boring per say, but they don’t grip you like Surfer Blood’s work earlier in the album and on “Pythons.” Meanwhile, other tracks, namely “Covered Wagons” and closer “NW Passage,” are indeed boring and will have listeners reaching for the skip button.
Ultimately, “1000 Palms” isn’t a bad effort. There are some decent musical experimentation and intriguing song constructions to be found, but it falls short of the bar they set for themselves on their last record. “Pythons” was an emotional journey that hit the listener right in the gut, while “1000 Palms” merely meanders along tepidly in comparison. No screamed vocals, no frenetic instrumentation, and significantly less passion equals a record that simply isn’t as good.
There is a silver-lining, though. As mentioned above, Surfer Blood experimented with new sounds and instrumentation on this album, and that breeds hope that if they can rekindle the fire we know is lurking somewhere inside them, their next record could be something special indeed.
But until then, I’ll stick with “Pythons” when I need a Surfer Blood fix.
