Artist description http://hem.passagen.se/langhorn/horn.html

Music Style Surf instrumental

Musical Influences Surf Music

Similar Artists Dick Dale on valium

Artist History http://hem.passagen.se/langhorn/horn.html

Group Members Michael SellersMartin BerglundRikard Swardh

Instruments guitar, bass, drums

Albums "Langhorns", "Club Gabardino"

Press Reviews Phil Dirt - Reverb CentralPO Box 7240, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-7240 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE LANGHORNS S/T **** I'm glad to see that this album has been released. The advance CD-R I reviewed in February definitely peaked my interest, and now you can also cruise the tracks of this interesting CD. It sports some very nice and new arrangements of standards, as well as a good selection of originals. This Swedish band seems to be the first from their country to do justice to surf instrumentals. Much of the guitar work here is nearly liquid, not reverbed surf, but fluidly flowing, with notes almost blending one to another. A fine CD. Picks: Tierra del Fuego, Penetration, Mother Of Earth, Buccaneer, The Sinner, El Guapo, Knuckleduster / Squad Car, Squad Car, John Doe, The Quiet Surf, Latiña, Awesome, Langhorn, The Poker, The Eternal Wave Label: Bad Taste Records BTR 23 CD ------------------------------------------------------------------------TIERRA DEL FUEGO**** This is a fine surf tune. It is a mid tempo number, colorful and full of imagery. The trumpet adds a mariachi rock edge. The guitar ranges from surfie reverb to echoplexed modern tones. The melody rolls over the ears pleasantly, and the arrangement is solid. Named for the Southern tip of South America that Charles Darwin found so significant in his journey on the Beagle, this track is an adventurous trip to major surf. Tierra del Fuego segues into the Penetration. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------PENETRATION**** Not many covers of this tune rank highly, because most are strait covers, or are pedestrian performances. The liquid guitar lines and tones, coupled with the intense whammy and gentle feedback/sustain, create a really solid rendition. Quite nice. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------MOTHER OF EARTH**** This is a very pretty cowboy sounding tune, with a round melody that floats across the horizon. The fluidity of the guitar lines is stunning. The placid imagery of a journey across a vast open plain is unmistakable, like a panorama passing outside an open window on a sultry summer rain day. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------BUCCANEER*** A rolling beat, sporty glissandos, traditional whammy, modern thematic melody, and great tones all add up to a fine track. The overall effect is a memorable and pretty tune with a traveling air about it. The changes in lead guitar approach from verse to verse help keep it fresh. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE SINNER**** Slinky exotic tones, shimmering vibrato, bongos, and a mysterious almost spy theme melody carry off this fluid track. Intense whammified and double picked power punch riffs eventually erupt from the silky flow, but soon enough returns to the liquid images. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------EL GUAPO**** A slow and flowing melody, haunting second guitar tones, and a Spanish theme set the scene for this cabana sequence soundtrack. The black-laced seniorita with the red rose that is conjured by this aural painting is standing just off the patio, gazing at the square where the mid-afternoon siesta is coming to an end in anticipation of the contest with el toro. I'm not making this up. It's the image that came to mind while listening to this fine track. The distant trumpet adds to the mystique. And the name means? Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------KNUCKLEDUSTER / SQUAD CAR**** Chunky thundering, fast paced fluid playing, and infectious melody lines create an interesting and watery sound. This sports a few fine changes. It is also a medley, segueing into Squad Car. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------SQUAD CAR**** Squad Car has a more textured sound, maybe closer to Paul Johnson's original home demo than the hit Eddie & the Showmen version. This is a powerful portrayal of one of the best surf instros ever. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------JOHN DOE**** This is a gentler track, relying more on fluid tonality than power. It has a solid melody, and the guitar playing is nearly liquid. Fine tune. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE QUIET SURF***** An exotic beat, precise harmonics whammied into Hawaiian ecstasy, and that fluid playing create a splendid and original cover of this most beautiful of all Richie Podolar tunes. It's big and dramatic, and it's gentle and almost subtle. Beautiful. Surf Instrumental Performance:Incredible Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Kill For It ------------------------------------------------------------------------LATIÑA***** Tommy Nunes' fantastic Latin surf masterpiece is taken a step further. It has an exotic fluidity, and is augmented with numerous original inventions. Like the Mermen's incredible jazz-psych recreation, this incorporates a few of the Jim Waller jazz ideas, and a passel of entirely new melody lines launched off the original song. Gorgeous. Surf Instrumental Performance:Incredible Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Kill For It ------------------------------------------------------------------------AWESOME*** A Duane Eddy-like guitar line opens this hypnotic semi-surf number. I think this is the weakest track on the disc. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------LANGHORN*** Namesake songs are always interesting. They are often written early in a band's development, and frequently end up being atypical of their sound. This borders on that rule. It's a power number, accented with flying echoplexed glissandos and big chords. Its melody is not as strong as most tracks here. Still, it is a fine track. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE POKER*** This is an odd little tune, fluid, playful, with slippery guitar sounds in the opening verse, replaced by shredding double picked lead lines in the rest. It all comes crashing to a close with that archetypal surf whammy chord. Surf Instrumental Performance:Notable Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE ETERNAL WAVE*** This is a slower number, evoking images of a glassy lagoon on a warm afternoon. Pretty, fluid, and picturesque. It is a very long track, clocking in at over seven minutes, though the last half is just the sounds of the sea shore. You can set quite a mood in that amount of time. It's not of the Adventures in Paradise ilk, but rather of the surf-gone-Hawaiian family of drifting tunes. Great ringing chords. Very pretty. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------PRETTY PLEASE*** Club crowd sounds, chunky R&B progression, and some cheesy stop-start changes a la Last Night with the sax honking in the back. This is probably a warm-up or break tune. Cool, but not very original. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have Phil Dirt - Reverb CentralPO Box 7240, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-7240 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE LANGHORNS Club Gabardino **** This is quite a bold step forward for the Langhorns. In some respects, it's like a cross between Pollo Del Mar with Spanish trumpets and less aquifer influence, and the Aqua Velvets less the shine. Plenty of bull run sounds, lots of private eye mystery, oodles of suave, and some very good writing. It's way off the central surf path, but like Chris Shahin's jazz surf, this fine band has created their own sound, steered clear of the pack, yet retained the link to the surf roots. Quite a tasty CD. Picks: Surf 99, Switchblade, Club Gabardino, The Victor, Point Neuf, Stake Out, Dauphin, Wet Wedding, Aspiración, Power Grip, El Duro, Fuzzball, Pit Stop Stampede, Pall Mall, Untitled Label: Bad Taste Records BTR 32 CD ------------------------------------------------------------------------SURF 99*** This two-chord spaghetti western-ish number is infectious and fun, with horns blaring and a nifty riff ready for a galloping horse drawn stagecoach on a coastal highway scene... maybe faster than that, but it does invoke that sort of image. Spaghetti Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------SWITCHBLADE**** "Switchblade" is a fluid whammy watershed instro in the vein pioneered by Pollo Del Mar. It's a darn good track with a significant surf factor from that rainy day on the dunes mysterious perspective. Slightly gloomy, yet optimistic. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------CLUB GABARDINO**** "Club Gabardino" opens with a slow semi dramatic intro before dropping into a fine Spanish-spaghetti western riff that is both inspired and well developed. The horns bring out the running of the bulls while the guitar speaks of long rides on tropical waves on an overcast day. A great track. Spanish Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------THE VICTOR**** Dick Dale's classic, scrunched out with as much flair asLanghorns can muster. "The Victor" is delivered with reverence and warmth, enhance significantly with Spanish horns, which bring it out of the water and into the bull ring, moving it up a notch from the typical cover. In some ways, this reminded me of the Treble Spankers. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------POINT NEUF*** "Point Neuf" is riff driven somewhat mysterious, even a little jazzy. The melody structure is not unlike the Chris Shahin Band's brand of surf, but more rock, less jazz. An excellent diversion. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------STAKE OUT**** Spies in the lounge sounds, shimmering vibrato, suave bongos, and a slow whammified guitar create a very cool audio experience. The horns add an espionage jazz edge. This is pure bachelor pad ecstasy. Suave Secret Agent Jazz Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------DAUPHIN**** This spaghetti tune oozes the sort of imagery the Treble Spankers developed, but more Spanish and less reverbed. "Dauphin" is a well written piece with a warm melody and tasty rhythm guitar. It's well crafted, and quite memorable. Spaghetti Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------WET WEDDING**** Rippin' double picked lead, chunky rhythm chop, and whammy, with a Cossack feel and plenty of energy. This is a solid and infections number that is a load of fun. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------ASPIRACIÓN**** Tropical verandah afternoons, like a Mexican bandit version of the sort of image that the Aqua Velvets are so good at creating. It swims with smoothness, and drips suave wink and a nod senoritas via the percussion and sultry horn. Quite refreshing. Verandah Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------POWER GRIP*** Fast rides and competition for space on the face, with plenty of maneuvering. The riff gets a little repetitious, but it holds together well enough due to the relentless drive. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------EL DURO*** "El Duro" slowly creates a dangerous trench coat image with a lesser "I Cover The Waterfront" feel and long whammy. It's very mysterious and you know there's danger just beyond the circle of light from the streetlight. Very effective. Private Eye Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------FUZZBALL*** I'm not sure where the title comes in, 'cuz it's neither a fuzz monster, nor rolls like a ball. It does have a distant back of the hall feel, a nasty sort of edge, and a gang feel. Intense drive and big drama. Big Whammy Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------PIT STOP STAMPEDE*** Whammy dips and a basic riff-rock fifties structure, but with minor Link Wray edge and crashing glissandos. More crunch than melody, more rock than roll. Rock Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have ------------------------------------------------------------------------PALL MALL**** Repelling down a sand dune pall mall after a maiden fair on a summer afternoon... well at least that's what came to mind. This is a playful tune with warmth and shimmer, and Spanish influences. The drums are interestingly counter to the shimmer of the guitar. Surf Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Miserable Without It ------------------------------------------------------------------------UNTITLED*** This is a very short private eye ender, untitled, like parenthetical punctuation hinting of a sequel to come. Suave Instrumental Performance:Natural Production:Average StereoGotta Have It Factor:Great To Have

Location Lund, skane - Sweden

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