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The Breakers — A Seahorse of a Different Color
(Bandcamp no#, 2023, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-09-07

A Seahorse of a Different Color Cover art

One might be inclined to wonder exactly what elements constitute that ubiquitous subgenre called surf-rock. First off, it’s gotta be driven by guitar, usually a Stratocaster or Telecaster, with copious amounts of spring reverb, whammy, and a catchy, repetitive driving rhythm section guiding the entire process along. There can be vocals, but with Chicago’s The Breakers, like The Ventures so many decades before them, it is is an entirely instrumental endeavor, though it’s probably due to the subject matter of the lyrics by better known popular acts like Jan and Dean and the early Beach Boys (and how many others?) that the subgenre got its ‘surf’ moniker. The Breakers are a new band, relatively speaking, born in 2018 when guitarist Jim Abrahams showed up at an open mic event with a drum pedal; before he could even get the drum pedal out of the box, he had recruited drummer Marc Lockett and bassist Jayson Slater, and the band was born, and continues to this day, although these days the band has a number of guest players, including Gary Kretchner (trumpet), Dan Klapman (sax), Jeff Bond (additional guitar), Craig Williams (keyboards), Neil Hansen (bagpipes), and others, with the guests only playing on select tracks; they do inject a bit of variety into the group’s sound and are all the better for it. The keyboards play a major role on tracks like “Skeleton Invasion,” where they cover the background with a distinctive wall of sound that’s hard to escape and somewhat belies the surf-rock idiom, though it works. “El Tradicional” stands out for it’s unique surf-meets-mexicano sound with the trumpet solos recalling a bit of the Tijuana Brass for good measure. With “Sharks in the Street” Abrahams’ staccato guitar lead strikes up a solid Ventures comparison, while “Landmark” takes on a more insistent, almost early-60s punk sound with great solos from sax and trumpet. A couple of noteworthy interpretations include “White Bird” (the It’s a Beautiful Day tune from 1969) and “BagPipeline” — yes indeed, that “Pipeline,” fleshed out with a great bagpipe solo that follows the guitar. Eighteen tracks in total, this album is a whole lot of fun.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): The Breakers

More info
http://thebreakers1.bandcamp.com/album/a-seahorse-of-a-different-color

 

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