"Black Tie Spy"
Spy-Fi
Sivle, 2008
(Review by Jeff Berkwits)
On their first CD since
2004, this aptly named Cleveland-based surf/spy band serves up an intriguing
blend of fresh instrumentals and familiar standards, spiced up with occasional
interstitial "instructions" voiced by a sultry Russian secret agent. The
title track is especially appealing, offering a stealthy melody augmented
by riffs from guest artist Vic Flick, the 71-year-old guitarist
who played on the original "James Bond Theme." The group also does a laudable
job on the 1960 classic "Apache" and The Ventures-inspired "La Tavola Da
Surf." Now and again the keyboards, which are present on about half of
the disc's 20 tunes, sound a mite too synthetic, but otherwise it's the
perfect accompaniment for an evening of spy-jinks and skullduggery.
Buy this album from
Spy-Fi Website>>>
A long-time aficionado of retro music and movies, Jeff Berkwits
has covered vintage sounds for numerous publications and websites including
Bachelor
Pad Magazine, Filmfax, Outré, and
Amazing Stories.
He can be reached at jeffberkwits@sbcglobal.net.
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