Showing posts with label Laika & The Cosmonauts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laika & The Cosmonauts. Show all posts

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Surf Instro Review: Laika & The Cosmonauts-Absurdistan

Warner Bros. initially released Laika & The Cosmonauts' Absurdistan only in Finland, a decision that might puzzle some of us. However, this album is a gem that deserves a global audience. 

Having heard a few of their previous releases, I can confidently say that Absurdistan surpasses them all. This is not to discredit the group's earlier work, as they have consistently delivered good music over the years.

This is a high achievement, considering all the factors that come into play when recording an album from start to finish.

The original release of Absurdistan featured thirteen tracks, each a testament to Laika & The Cosmonauts' musical prowess. The American release, however, offers a little extra. In addition to the original tracks, listeners can enjoy three bonus remixes that add a new dimension to the album's sound.

Laika & The Cosmonauts have matured into one of the instrumental genre's best, showcasing their versatility by touching upon every sub-genre of surf-instrumental music. This flexibility in their music creates a pleasing range that transcends all age barriers. It's a superb, mature sound that’s sure to captivate any listener.

As a self-proclaimed surf-instro addict, it takes a lot to impress me after years of listening to this type of music. Being a hardcore Ventures fan makes me more critical than the average listener. Laika & The Cosmonauts pass the test.

This kind of music needs some inventiveness and artistic faculty to sound fresh and invigorating. Laika & The Cosmonauts have managed to infuse their music with these qualities, offering a different slant with a consistent, ear-catching eminence in each song. This CD rocks.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

November 15, 2000

Tracks:

01. Disconnected 

02. Turquoise 

03. Look! No Head!  

04. Hypno-Wheel, The   

05. Boris The Conductor   

06. Lands End   

07. Circumstantial Evidence

08. The Freefaller   

09. Syncophant   

10. Silenzio  

11. Hi & Lo   

12. Nanaki   

13. Rough Ground  

14. Silenzio In Dubsurdistan

15. Rough Evidence On Circumstantial Ground    

16. Re-Inventing The Hypno-Wheel

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Surf Instro Review: Laika & The Cosmonauts-Laika Sex Machine…taped before a LIVE! Audience (1997,1998)

Laika Sex Machine? I don't know what that's all about, but this group from Finland remains one of the best surf-intro groups actively recording music today. After several years of releasing standout studio recordings, the group offers their faithful following a live recording that showcases a taste of their entire catalog.

Laika Sex Machine…taped before a LIVE! Audience (1997, 1998) is twenty-six tracks of traditional surf and third-wave instrumental diamonds. This CD is a relentless attack upon your eardrums. It's a rockin' good time. I loved every minute of it. 

This band has a good handle on presenting its music brand. With elements of both new and old blending into its sound, you get the best of both worlds—and then some. 

“Then some” is the undefined live element. Those who make the magic happen can understand the spontaneity of a live performance. As mortal listeners, we get all the pleasures from the results of that mystical knowledge that only the gifted musician has. In my opinion, all music possesses a spiritual quality. Surf-instro is fun, energetic, and picturesque. Even though it's lighthearted, it remains the thinking man's music.

The sound and production are brilliant, and Laika and The Cosmonauts' performances are fantastic. It is the quintessential live surf-instro recording. Go ahead and be a sex machine—get this CD.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

April 27, 2001 

Tracks:

01. The Hypno-Wheel    

02. Disconnected     

03. Syncophant    

04. Tantrum    

05. Floating   

06. Turquoise   

07. Boris The Conductor   

08. Look! No Head!

09. Experiment In Terror  

10. The Avengers   

11. Circumstantial Evidence   

12. Hi & Lo   

13. Cafe Equator   

14. Land's End   

15. Psyko   

16. Mission Impossible

17. Get Carter  

18. Global Village   

19. Enchanted Rock   

20. C'mon Do The Laika!   

21. Fugitive   

22. Ba-Ha-Re-Bah!   

23. Fadeaway    2

4. Sauna-Soul

25. Telstar  

26. Vendetta