Ramblin' Ambassadors - Vista Cruiser Country Squire

  by Andrew Carver

published: 24 / 8 / 2008

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Review

Where have all the twangers gone? Once upon a time it seemed a stalwart band of outfits were willing to follow in the footsteps of Dick Dale and Link Wray: the Aquabats, Man ... Or Astroman?, the Bomboras, Laika and The Cosmonauts, the Phantom Surfers, Boss Martians, Los Straitjackets ... the list could go on, but it’s fair to say the surf revival is well and truly over. Well, almost: From the lonely redoubt in Calgary come the Ramblin' Ambassadors with their sophomore release ‘Vista Cruiser Country Squire’. It’s been five years since their debut ‘Avanti’, but their taste for stripped down picking and extreme vibrato haven’t dimmed a bit. The quartet fronted by former Huevos Rancheros man Brent Cooper dish out a dirty dozen of portentous originals, as well as a trio of covers: the classics ‘Cecilia Ann’ and ‘Kamikaze’ and The Sadies blistering ‘Rat Creek’. Whether you’re an instro-addict or don’t feel a huge need to listen to a lot of surf music, you could do a lot worse than ‘Vista’. It’s not quite as much of a gas as ‘Avanti’, but fuzzy stompers like ‘Lonesome Rambler’ and the Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet-esque ‘Speed Wobble’ should get you where you need to go.

Track Listing:-

1 Camino Real
2 Cecilia Ann
3 Frank Slide Song
4 Speed Wobble
5 Lonesome Rambler
6 Cupcakes di Milo
7 March of Dimes
8 Kamikaze
9 Besa Me Bottom Turn
10 Cabbage Diablo
11 Rat Creek
12 Cecilia Anne Reprise