Kudos (LP)

On their new full-length, Kudos, Surf City remains preoccupied with the college rock sounds of yesteryear. But this time around they've drifted in a slightly stonier direction-- away from the minimalist-pop moves of the Clean and toward the circular space-rock of Spacemen 3, Stereolab, and Bailter Space. Album opener "Crazy Rulers of the World" buzzes along on an endlessly repeating two-note bass riff. "Icy Lakes" goes one better, riding a single pulsing chord through eight minutes of swooshing guitars and reverb-drenched yelps.

It's a record heavy on hypnotic grooves-- phased drones swooping through the stereo field while the rhythm section churns. Somewhere in the last two years, Surf City decided it was okay to jam. For all the static repetition, the band knows how to rattle the mood with a spare riffs and inch upwards toward a fuzzed-out crescendo.