Madeira Press, Articles, & Reviews
Billybop Review of Sandstorm
Style : Surf
Rate (1-5) : 5 stars
For a very long moment I lived with the idea, that Lo-fi recording was a must to produce a surf or Instro album, but with The Sandstorm on my player it’s proven that I’m dead wrong.
And there is even more to say about these guys. Not only do they produce a high quality sound, but they also look very stylish and professional on the album. However it’s the sound that counts for me, so let’s stick to that!
This combo (2 guitars, a bass & a drum) delivers 13 dream-catching tunes. Twelve self penned songs plus 'Express To Baghdad’ the only cover on this CD. Making extensive use of tremolo & reverb, throwing in some glissando’s and a drum break now & then and you can start to imagine what The Madeira sounds like. Throw in some pictorial scenery of sandy shores, exotic markets or desert dunes and you have it picture perfect.
The band is debuting here, but it would be a lie to say they are total newcomers to the scene. Leader of the gang is Ivan Pongracic, who helmed the Space Cosacks before and surf aficionados know what this means.
The Madeira is pure Mediterranean surf music as the band explains themselves. From the Marrakech mysteries, over the rocky surface of Gibraltar to the joyous late-night gypsy dances in the small towns of Andalucia. The Madeira is all that and much more.
Sandy dessert dunes or windy beaches it doesn’t make a big difference 'cause the Madeira is taking you to far away places. The song titles are as catchy as the music itself. 'Cordoba’, 'Sandstorm’ or 'Desert Drums’ are only a few on their list. 'Desert Drum’ by the way is a very impressive tune if you ask me, that sounds like a crossbread between a Sandy Nelson song & a Ventures tune.
The hot pick of this album is without doubt 'Ricohet’, a song that is best compared to a good drink. Ripe & full of Body, but with an extarordanary after taste. This tune is certainly a highlight on the album. Another great tune is ofcourse second in line (and the first real tune on this album) 'Sandstorm’. Again the old trick of reverb & tremelo makes it work and this 'would be classic’ is the opening tune to a blast of 13 crazy tunes. Also worth mentioning is 'El Caliph’and 'Cordoba’, but instead of listing all the song titles here I should send you of to the Double Crown Records site where you can order this 5 star album.
Mr Blue Boogie.
www.billybop.be