Finland's Laika & the Cosmonauts grew up in a country about as far away from the sun and fun of Southern California as it gets, but that didn't stop them from playing their own cosmic-ray-drenched version of instrumental surf rock. COSMOPOLIS represents a kind of victory lap for the band, who have decided to call it quits after 20 years riding the waves. The 27 tracks of tremolo-soaked, languid instrumentals run the gamut from straight sun-dazed songs like the gorgeous "Turquoise" to darker, spy-movie influenced twang like "The Ipcress File," as well as sci-fi/horror freakouts like the organ-filled "Psyko" and the eerie "Fear." For all the novelty value of surf rock, it's undeniably a genre that takes great skill, and Laika & the Cosmonauts demonstate the creativity that made it interesting for two decades.

Dirty Linen (p.55) - "Laika's music is hard to define: One moment you're lounging at a dilapidated Tiki shack having a Sea Breeze and the next moment you're on a motorcyle with Steve McQueen....It's an exhilarating ride..."