Del-Fi's Surf Monsters: Past, Present & Future Surf Klassics provides just what the title suggests: a half-and-half mix of classic surf from the genre's masters (the Original Surfaris, the Impacts, the Sentinals) and new works by up-and-comers (Man or Astroman?, the Bomboras, and the Dynotones). One of the reasons this collection works so well is that surf's young turks devote themselves to the faithful reproduction of the style's original guitar tones and production values, so new and old blend together seamlessly.

Man or Astroman?'s "Flotation Devices for Frequencies Yet to Be Detected" surfs into the space age with plenty of atonal guitars and wobbly background synths, and the Tiki Tones' "Island of Lost Soul" features looping guitar lines, harpsichord flourishes and chanting for a hallucinatory, post-modern spin on surf. Though these two tracks represent today's surf scene at it's most envelope-pushing, songs like the Dynotones' "Devil's Martini," Huevos Rancheros' "Beach Blanket Blackout," and Powerjive's "Surf Session At Sunset" reflect these new groups' commitment to traditional twang and reverb. Past "Klassics" include "Surf Rider," "Miserlou," "Bombora," and "Exotic," making Surf Monsters an enjoyable blend of traditional and experimental surf. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide