Various Artists – Litmus - New LP

Australian surfer, photographer, filmmaker...musician: Andrew Kidman.  As part Anthology Recording's Surf Archive series, we celebrate the soundtrack to Andrew Kidman's classic 1996 film Litmus, the reflective music in sharp contrast to pop-punk, metal and grunge surf soundtracks of this era, and surf rock in general.  By the early 90s, surfing was on an upswing in popularity as professional surfers became marketable athletes. The three-fin, high performance, thruster shortboard was the tool of choice, lending to a fast-paced slashing style and ultimately a more aggressive surf and destroy movement in board culture. Litmus, Andrew Kidman's first avant-garde surf film, served as a soulful reaction to the pop-punk progression that dominated the alternative mainstream. With the film's visceral and cerebral moodiness, folksy soundtrack, and meditative spirit, critics swooned over surf misfits like Wayne Lynch, Derek Hynd, Tom Curren, and Joel Fitzgerald. Despite the acclaim, the film was not much of a commercial success at the time. The aura of Litmus' soundtrack, however, has found its cultish corner in the surf world. Prior to filming Litmus, Kidman's band, The Val Dusty Experiment, recorded a total of thirty-five songs in one day. The outcome of the one-and-done sessions was a lo-fi, rustic, experimental rock n roll sound, adding a rough-around-the-edges ambiance to the surf scenes that span Ireland, Australia, California, and South Africa. Additional contributions from Yothu Yindi and The Screaming Orphans diversify the score. Litmus was a defining moment in surf filmmaking -- it sparked an open-minded retro-progressive movement as surfers formed a higher consciousness about the types of boards they were riding and why.  Thanks in part to Litmus, experimentation in board design progressed as surfers became more contemplative, questioning if surfing was art or sport?