RED TRIANGLE MISTER NEUTRON
Review by HangNine WebZine (UK) 2006

Who are they? The most powerful three-piece surf/instrumental band on the East Coast, or so they claim (we assume that they are referring to the east coast of the USA and not that they're huge in Dundee or Cromer).

RED TRIANGLE is their second CD for the Austin-based Deep Eddy label and features seven sparkling originals and covers of Dick Dale's "The Wedge" and the Eddie Angel-penned "The Casbah."

WHAT'S GOOD:
* "Comanchero" is a sublime spaghetti western thing, featuring acoustic rhythm guitars and some fabulous trumpet. If you've visited HangNine much, you'll know we are suckers for trumpet.

* "Attack Of The Sea People" is mental -- and only in a good way.

* Some thunderous playing from the Fanelli brothers (OK, I'm only guessing they're brothers, but I reckon there's a fair chance I'm correct) -- Damian on guitar and Tony on bass -- and from drummer Drew Paradine.

WHAT'S BAD: 
* "Comanchero" hints at the possibility of a somewhat broader musical pallette than the rest of the album, which, for the most part, actually delivers.

HANGNINE RATING: 
AB (Absolutely Brilliant)


RED TRIANGLE MISTER NEUTRON
Review by Blue StingRaye 2006

This nine-song EP is a powerful tribute to classic surf, old, new and Neutron, as well as a showcase of the power-surf style Mister Neutron fans are familiar with.

My personal pick is "Submariner." The drums of Drew Paradine just blew me away. Every second drips with reverb and salt air. The drums and bass line provide powerful surges of sound that compliment the high, sweet double-picking of Mister Damian Fanelli so well. I have listened to this CD no less that 20-plus times and still love this tune the most.

I have heard Mister Neutron play every tune on "Red Triangle" live and found the mix of exotica/trad, as in "Super Constellation" coming right after the hot-rod-surf sound of "Danger Diabolik," as enjoyable as the mix of tunes during their live shows.

The CD closes with an original written by bassist Tony Fanelli, "Neutron Stomp." It opens with Drew leading the way on the skins, followed by deep reverberating strings of Damian and Tony. "Neutron Stomp" will have you swaying and grinding with your dance partner as the beat builds up to climatic ending that takes your breath away.

"Red Triangle" leaves you wanting more, which is what all good performers want their audiences to feel. Be prepared to yell "encore!" after the CD ends. Mister Neutron has definitely created a place in the surf music genre all their own, and I am grateful they have allowed us to share it with them through their latest CD, "Red Triangle."


RED TRIANGLE MISTER NEUTRON
Review by William J. Levay 2006

At nine tracks and 25 minutes, this instrumental surf-rock set from the often-eclectic Mister Neutron is as fast and furious as Damian Fanelli's guitar playing.

Swimming in vibrato and drenched in reverb, "Red Triangle" wonderfully showcases the straight-ahead surf band that always lurked within Mister Neutron's sub-atomic core. The album cover leaves no doubt as to the kind of music contained inside. A surfer rides in front of a cresting wave. Is he aware of the ominous red triangle breaking the surface behind him? Is it a shark? The devil? A devil shark?

A tiki god observes the scene, which appears in that quasi-faded, bad-silkscreen-job finish and jumbled, blocky type. Certainly retro, and with that concomitant ironic distance that defines our age. I mean, how can you be sincerely retro if you know youre being retro? But thats for the phenomenologists ...

The surf rider seems to be in imminent peril, and thats the mood this brief set frequently evokes. Minor keys and modal riffs à la Dick Dale conjure up not only boards and Birdwells, but also danger, paranoia and constant motion. And those final chords, detuned with a whammy bar are they resolutions or question marks?

"Comanchero," the cinematic opening track, is the fullest of the bunch, thanks to guest artists who bring acoustic guitar, trumpet and percussion into the mix (yes, thats a Vibra-Slap). Its Ennio Morricone meets Dick Dale in Monument Valley; the constant motion here isnt the ocean, but a galloping horse. As the liner notes explain, Comancheros were "those brave souls who smuggled whiskey and rifles to the Comanches in 19th-century New Mexico," and here they are, back to life, triumphantly delivering their wares, ATF be damned.

"Danger Diabolik," an insanely catchy surf tune, is one of two new versions of tunes that originally appeared on Mister Neutrons 2004 release "Mister Neutron Loves You" (the other is "The Casbah"). But where they were once tucked away among 19 eclectic rock songs, they now serve as highlights.

"The Casbah" is a great beach blanket stomp, with a skipping bass line and killer backbeat, but this beach blanket happens to be in North Africa, on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean.

"Attack of the Sea People" begins with some intimate reverby surf-flamenco work by Fanelli, but soon launches into an all-out melee with brother Tony Fanellis rapid-fire bass and Drew Paradines pounding tom-toms leading the fight. After a ferocious drum intro,

"Neutron Stomp" settles into a down-tempo (for these guys, at least) groove but wait! Mister Neutron cant slow down for more than two minutes. For what they lack in net electric charge, they make up in pure kinetic energy. And like both the surf rider and the shark, to stop would be to perish.


RED TRIANGLE MISTER NEUTRON
Review by Jules at Redjmusic (BMI) 2006

This is fun, surfy music. These dudes play fast, and it's a great cd to listen to at the end of the summer. But not only is this band really good ... they are a tight band, and it's a very old skool surf sound ... almost gothic/rockabilly. These are no novices to what good music should sound like.