Tonight has four discs from the San Francisco trio The Mermen (‘Krill Slipping’, ‘Food For Other Fish’, ‘Glorious Lethal Euphoria’ and ‘Songs Of The Cows’). The Mermen are often cited as one of the prime examples of the surf music revival of the ’90s, but they are really more like a combination of surf, psychedelic and the noisier side of Sonic Youth. They can go from ambient and melodic to walls of sound crashing around you (just like being in the water at the beach!). And usually, that can be like that all in one song.

I was introduced to The Mermen by my friend Charles. Charles and I worked at the Tower in Berkeley together close to 15 years ago now. Since then, we still get mix discs to each other pretty much every year. I have probably been introduced to more music from Charles then just about anyone else (except my Dad). In fact, I can probably look at the iTunes library on my laptop right now and find close to a 1/3 of what is newer pop and rock on it is there because of Charles. I don’t bother listening to much radio anymore (though I am lucky to be within the 3-4 mile radius that picks up KUPS!), but every year when I get new discs from Charles I find new music to explore. Charles and I have often complimented each others tastes while at the same time really liking about the same music. He buys pop records like a fanatic, while I hunt for jazz and blues. But when we share it with each other, the is little disagreement about what is good.

What is unique about The Mermen (from the Charles filter perspective) is that they are completely instrumental and not your traditional pop group. What got Charles into them though was meeting the bassist Alan, then going to one of the shows they put on at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. What was especially impressive about the group was how good they sounded live and how much their albums sounded like their performances. One of the startling things about their CDs is the lack of overdubs. They create a very full sound from one guitar, one bass and a drummer (that sounds like he has ten arms sometimes). The bass playing is full and melodic, and the guitar work often resonates through a dense reverb to create a large washes of color. I have been a fan of 60s surf music for about as long as I can remember, and the Mermen certainly caught my interest because they weren’t simply a rehash of that style, but a real update and outgrowth of it.

And while the Coltrane discs I mentioned last night conjure up a very specific memory of a very specific moment, when I listen to the Mermen I am almost always reminded of the smell of fog as it rolled into Berkeley and me standing outside the record store drinking a hot cup of Wall Berlin coffee at 11pm.  And the more I think about it… both of these just make me realize that this is music that came to me when I was younger. I’m glad I was so open-minded to new music at 20… that’s how a 20 year old should be. And I know that all of this is really just nostalgia. I love my life now, but being 20 was fun. And I still have the soundtrack.

Suggested listening: The Mermen: Food For Other Fish if you can find it… if you can’t, let me know.