Instrumental surf-rock isn’t necessarily a creative dead end. But, arguably, it may have its limitations. Some current bands proffering the sound are content to remain within the confines of its original template. Others emphasize its constituent elements and parallels to other genres as a means to broach fresh vistas. Then there are The Revomatics. The Milwaukee quartet’s second CD, Nocturnica, implements the wetness of surf’s original guitar tone and the instrument’s buzzsaw timbre heard in surf’s late ’70s-early ’80s punk-informed revival to birth another thing altogether. The six-tune collection’s linchpin is the title track, more than five minutes of roiling bliss duking it out with dual guitars in post-rock progressive surf. Elsewhere, the guys hone and tweak the more traditional surf of their first album into a worldlier, bolder behemoth that adventurous aficionados of current alt-rock should both be able to rally around.
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