SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE TREMOLO BEER GUT – ASK NOT WHAT THE TREMOLO BEER GUT CAN DO FOR YOU…

THE TREMOLO BEER GUT
ASK NOT WHAT THE TREMOLO BEER GUT CAN DO FOR YOU…
MUSICK RECORDINGS/NO-COUNT RECORDS

The surf rock band from Denmark, The Tremolo Beer Gut, has just released their seventh album, Ask Not What The Tremolo Beer Gut Can Do For You…

It is a bit of a misnomer to describe this band as simply being surf rock. This is an album of depth and of varied textures. Sure, the classic surf sound of guitars, bass, and drums is present, but there are also many other colours on this album. Very little in the way of press or production notes has been provided about The Tremolo Beer Gut, so we are not relying on history or foreknowledge of this band. The music really stands on its own, without preconception or comparison. Ask Not What The Tremolo Beer Gut Can Do For You… is an ambitious collection, containing 15 songs. Even so, there is no padding here. This music is all quality.

The album’s lead off track, “The Grifter,” is expansive and cinematic. With a strong main guitar theme and horns which give a classic Spanish vibe, this song builds to a satisfying crescendo, and leaves room for the listener’s mind to conjure images of life on the high plains. Alternatively, the track “The Only Game in Town” seems at first to play things instrumentally straight, but we can hear some chaos just below the surface, as the band works toward the song’s conclusion. The open-ended intro of another piece, “The Rise and Fall of TBG” could really go anywhere. It begins dependably with a guitar and synth (or is that a theremin?) hook in the main motif, driving with a four-on-the-floor tempo. Things take a turn as the piece lapses into a dreamlike second movement in 3/4 time, before returning to the original marching beat. This tune glances both forward and backward with a space-y feel amid the traditional surf rock sound.

There are many other great moments and surprises on this album, notably, the inventive use of horns and organ on the classic spy-movie-inspired “Brenda & Mitch,” or the killer organ solo on “Phnom Penh.” Another great turn is the fun and dangerously urgent “Killer Negroni,” which begins with the narration, “There is this bar where the customer is always wrong.” Also worth mentioning is “Brass Knuckles and Broken Dreams,” a fun and loony track that plays like an early 1960s movie theme playing over an urban cityscape. Many of these songs evoke the swinging ‘60s.

Considering the refreshing music on offer here, it is safe to say that surf rock ain’t dead, friends. It is just getting re-booted, and The Tremolo Beer Gut is pointing the way to its future. You must hear it!

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