The Aquavelvets
Guitar Noir
Milan/BMG
The Aquavelvets are back again, with another great recording of mysterious surf guitar tunes. Their last release, Nomad, left us smoking cigars on a Mediterranean shore. Now, night has come upon us, and we should kick back and watch the various intrigues going on under the cover of darkness. The title track, paying careful attention to the “noir,” sets a slower, black and white pace for the album. Dig these song titles: “Subterrania,” “Casbah Club,” “Venetian Silhouettes,” “Day in the Life of a Private Eye,” and “Twilight of the Hepcats.”
Listening to this album is like being transported into a steamy, exotic film. The Aquavelvets capture the “noir” mood perfectly with their own exotic guitars and bongos, and then add dreamy, sometimes spooky keyboards and odd sounds to come up with amazing musical landscapes, like “Moodswing Sonata” and “Mermaids After Midnight.” “Slow Dance with a Fast Girl” has fun, erotic, exotic imagery, balancing out this superb instrumental album.
