I’ve been wondering if I’d prefer this tune minus the addition of those beats halfway in, but once you get the album, the old/new sound really works. The rhythm transports that soothing luxuriant beach dream feel into a slightly more dynamic shoreline shingle. I love that Hawaiian steel guitar sound and just melt as those notes bend and sway like palm trees in a breeze!!
Washed Ashore is a track taken from Monster Rally’s 2016 LP, Mystery Cove (read more about Monster Rally on my blog post, here). The record is a kind of concept album and was designed (in their own words) as a “soundtrack to an imaginary movie both fit for the vaults of TMC and primed for a grindhouse exploitation flick screening”. I would imagine all 20 tracks are best heard in sequence in their entirety (for which I am only now just doing) as its design is a soundtrack. Further explaining the content, Monster Rally go on to describe how, “Mystery Cove contains a narrative of young lovers on an island getaway. As the grooves spin, Monster Rally reveals a cabalistic presence in the jungle that leads them on an adventure of surf competitions (“The Big Surf”), voodoo terror (“Tourismo”), and plenty of slushy cocktails (“After Hours”). The occult meets the salt-rimmed rum mix on Mystery Cove”.
Ha!! Who wouldn’t be intrigued by that last line: “The Occult meets the salt-rimmed rum mix on Mystery Cove”..
I like how Monster Rally has explored the sounds of exotica with this album. I also like how the write-up on the Bandcamp page outlines his explorations by saying how, his “reinvention of cocktail music via luau-loops and tchotchke breaks evokes a mondo vision of the subgenre..”. This is very true, for Mystery Cove is not just about imitating that exotica and lounge sound. It’s about progressing and exploring this glorious genre, bringing it into the now whilst preserving its rich essence!
If escape is what you need, this may just be the thing for you? This may just be the answer to your sonic sun-drenched desires? Scattered across the album, the cry of gulls and the sound of waves lapping at the shore adds to the lashings of salty-sweet surf atmosphere! I’m still working my way this sandy, ship-wrecked delight, so if you fancy joining me, just press play below! Enjoy!
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