Langhorns – Mission Exotica [RANDOM COLOR VINYL] – New LP

First vinyl offering of this stellar set from this Sweden outfit (originally issued on CD in 2003), the "exotica" in the title suggesting this might be surfside reflective, but this owes as much to Memphis as it does to Polynesia, and when it's surfside, it's paddling out into the deep with the rhythm of the waves, ripping into the curls and charging the shore...offers excursions into the moods of many settings, from grass shacks to cement-block garages, from sand warmed by the noonday heat to airport interiors chilled like a martini, racing through Nevada deserts to reflecting on Spanish shores, from rubber burning in the sun to moving along to places unknown...the "mission" in the title perhaps just as revealing as the "exotica," as this likely takes some inspiration from celluloid crime and magazine espionage, from Schifrin to James Bond...the excursions to the jungle beat and machete slices helping reveal this is an espionage mission into the exotica.  Essential listen for fans of surf rock.  -- winch