Surf Instro: The Space Cossacks/The Hypnomen - From The Shadows Of The Evil Empire...

Whoever said Vinyl was dead? It never died, it just took a backseat while the world was captivated by the new kid on the block, the eight-track. But the charm of vinyl, with its crackling sound and tangible presence, never truly faded.

Of course, after that, the cassette revolution followed, leading to CDs, which gradually took over as the main format. What format has hung right in there through all of the format changes? Vinyl.

I bought a turntable last summer because I missed it. All the albums and 45s with their colorful inner sleeves and cover art, those were the days.

Just leave it to the surf genre to make it fun and interesting again, with a release like From The Shadows Of The Evil Empire…, featuring the two amazing bands The Space Cossacks and The Hypnomen.

90% of the vinyl in my present collection is surf instrumentals. All 7" with various color palettes adorn the Vinyl as it spins away on the turntable, sounding as good as ever!

Surf is the only genre I know that combines different groups' songs on the same 7" to create this fascinating and colorful format. MuSick has been steadily building its 7" collection. This is the collectors' arena. I am not a rabid collector like in the 1970s, but my interest has been piqued by releases like this one.

The Space Cossacks and Hypnomen bring you some of the best surf instro in the galaxy, complete with the signature "surf sound." The songs don't last that long. Surf songs aren't designed that way, never were. 

They are all great songs, regardless of the length; that's the beauty of surf instro music. All the energy of great surf music armed with rapid-fire guitar playing encompasses all four tracks. The two groups do a very nice job of combining their experience and expertise to create wonderful and vibrant surf music.

So, why not dive back into the world of vinyl? Start your collection again and experience the thrill of discovering new music in a classic format. Trust me, it's cool stuff! 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

April 1999

Side A -The Space Cossacks /Escape From Gulag 17/Metsakukkia

Side B -The Hypnomen /Holotna/ Comrade, The Squealer