This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
If music really is the international language, then surf-garage must be something akin to Esperanto.
Near as I can tell, every single nation in the world has at least one band of retro-rockers churning out instrumental ditties brimming with twangy Fender vibrato licks, rollicking carnival organ lines and tom-tom beats that pound like the surf at Hawaii. Even the frosty shores of Finland have made a contribution to this global wave: Laika And The Cosmonauts, a long-running outfit who wax up the boards and hang 10 yet again on their eighth album Local Warming. This time out, they venture beyond the tiki torches with bits of jazzy pop, TV-show theme melodies and even some squishy electronics. But they never stray far enough away to get in over their heads, preferring the safety of the usual tidal pools where Dick Dale and The Shadows chill out with some frosty vodka. Cowabunga, ystävä!
