The Fuzziyama Surfers "Wild Echizen" 2021

Some nice traditional surf from The Land of the Rising Sun!! There is enough juice in this album to sustain a 20 second tube ride!! Easy listening and enjoyable!! - Kahuna Cole
I don't love using surfing metaphors on surf music, especially since I haven't actually surfed much, but every time I've caught a wave there's those ~3 seconds where you tilt forward, start to accelerate, and inevitably think "here we go." It's a great part of the experience in and of itself, and I have the same feeling listening to the brief intros into these songs. And unlike me on a surfboard, what ensues never collapses.
Though this is their first release, The Fuzziyama Surfers did not arrive out of nowhere. Ages ago I came across a promo CD from The Windows (I'm guessing via this SG101 thread), and it wasn't shocking to learn that this shares members with that fireball of a surf record. This may not scream with lo-fi distortion like that one, but every note seems to hit with some oomph, and it just feels like these songs were built to sound loud and full of life. And man, can they play it. When listening to "Facing the Wave" I tried to imagine another band covering it, and the timing and minutiae are so on-point that I can't imagine hearing anybody else match it, let alone surpass it. These feel practiced to peak, not to death, and I'm having fun with along with them.
This category is STACKED with big names this year and there are a few that I have a feeling people will think I'm crazy for leaving off. This decision is one that I arrived at fairly quickly though. I just can't ask for much more. - by Hunter
trax:
09 Facing The Wave 01 Fuzziyama Wave 02 Shift Up 03 My Wave 04 Nantoka Beach 05 Blob Dance 06 Sunset Strings 07 Wild Echizen 08 Tako Wasabi 10 Manzai Stomp 11 R 42 12 Fuzziyama Beat