Electric Beach is the debut album from
Voodoo Court, a surf rock instrumental trio that emphasizes the campy surrealism of the genre's '60s heyday. Led by guitar wiz Mark Kuhn, the group is more about having a laid-back afternoon at the beach than burning through fast-paced fretboard workouts. This makes for a relaxing and understated record, but does not add up to an engaging listening experience. Kuhn can kick things up a notch when he feels like it, but his playing often relies on strumming the strings repeatedly while the band bops away in the background with little change. When the music does kick things up a notch, like on the inspired "Goin' Off," it only goes to prove how good the band can be when they emphasize their technical skill. But even that track suffers from a rather weak mix, a problem that haunts the rest of the album. Despite the necessity of keeping things sounding clear, the production goes overboard and gives the album a skeletal feel that robs the tracks of their energy. There is obvious talent here, but
Electric Beach is a hard debut to recommend. ~ Bradley Torreano