Artist: The Fathoms
Album: Fathomless
Year: 1996
Label: Atomic Beat Records
Reviewed by: Woodstock Slim
This is one of my all time favorite Surf outfits. I listen to mainly Surf and Garage and must admit that almost every other genre of music falls third to those two... I also regret having heard The Fathoms too late. If I heard hem a few years prior to say Man or Astroman? I would been more partial to bands Like Satan's Pilgrims. I love the Pilgrims but I really find a lot more pleasure in more harder shark attack Surf like Dick Dale and Astroman, than the more beautiful and subtle sound of the Satan's Pilgrims and The Fathoms. But now... here we are... I love all Surf Bands don't think I've ever loathed a Surf band... although there was that German band I cant get to the name now, Red Surf or summink, not sure, will look it up later.
I have searched the net dry looking for info on yet another illusive band and have found virtually nothing about them. Their 2nd album was released in 1998 called Overboard. If anyone had a copy they don't want please send it my way. Phoarrrr! Listening to "Getaway Car" now... the track that got me hooked on The Fathoms the first time. Mind blowing stuff... If there are any Surf Coaster fans out there, you'd like this. Their guitars and bass are tuned just like Frank Blandino's, it's uncanny. It sounds like Surf Coasters but you can hear the band is more relaxed and a little older in the delivery whereas the Surf Coaster are younger and their delivery a bit paced but other than that... Also Surf Coasters don't use brass, but then again how do you beat the saxophone talent of the great Dave Sholl. you can't! but Phrooaaaoorr! The Blandino and Sholl duo is unmistakable, unbeatable, dark, smoky and they really have put an edge on Surf that I believe, have moved the bar a little higher. In some sections they just bleep in or moan softly but always playing together so close that they've created a third instrument all together from the guitar and the sax. Your hair stands on end all the way through this unmistakable master piece of Rock. Never before in the history of my collective knowledge of music have I heard a union between two instruments quite like this. I think this is what Charlie Mingus was on about all the years before he was forgotten and Jazz just dropped back into fluvial boring standards...
This great piece of work has been created for those who are still to come for those who are still to be gripped and shredded by this unbelievable symphony of sound of SURF. It is my belief that all they did was get together to show all the other Surf bands how it's done. No malice, no pushing out of chests or nuffink... 'a putting it out there' to keep the standards high and everyone else's shit together. Keep Surf pure, like that. So whenever you should stray off the path a little you'll say,
" Honey? Where that Fathoms album at? I think I've just written the same bloody four cords over and over and it sounds like a Milli Vanilli song... Honey?"
Hailing from Boston might account for the watery sounding guitars although Californians might think otherwise, not all great Surf Bands comes from Cali, so there!
"That said, let's point out the Fathoms are a pretty traditional-styled outfit.
They don't have samples and spacesuits like Man...or Astroman?, they don't use
guitar wizardry like the Mermen and they don't wear wrestling masks like Los
Straitjackets. What they do have is excellent songwriting, ranging from slow
ballads like "Incognito" to choppy, reverb feasts like "Riptide" and
"Fathomless."
Andrea says and I can not agree with her more. No strings here bwoy! Only great song writing and reverb pilled on like humps on camels. Fathomless pulls you by the collar from one side of the room to the back streets of Boston to the blind guy playing Surf covers under the tree on Wright Street. There's a bit of old Mexico, beautiful sweeping ballads, hard ripping shark frenzies and plenty of groove riders. Now I'm going to say something rash again, and totally unbelievable but it true.
This album is the reason I bought my VW Beetle 1974. there, I say no more.
(read more)
(also read an interview with The Fathoms here)
(watch video here)
