The Halibuts

Life On the Bottom (Upstart)
by Mark Phinney

It’s been some time since I sat down and listened to straight surf. I’ve been so caught up lately in the set, and cool moderns like Laika, Man… or Astroman?, and Satan’s Pilgrims who take surf into new directions and outer dimensions, and then I fell back on the beach, ears first. So from stars to starfish I revel in the shimmying sounds of The Halibuts. This is good and proper surf, the California sound; it holds in its wings all the beach party flair and lei-wearing class that is the soothing West Coast theme. The Halibuts have been cruising for some time, and cheers to Upstart for keeping their boards afloat. The tunes on this offering vary from quick surfy tarts to dusky Hawaiian cocktails on the beach; they drift from genre to genre, yet stay true not only to their surf roots, but to the ongoing theme of salty water and bonfires. Even the cover is this really cool cellophane with the ocean’s wonders drifting to and fro. Listen carefully to “Nightcrawler” – the sound is so zippy, back and forth, up and down, it shakes your pants down. I will say that this is the first CD in a long time that I just plain had fun with. Cool.