Swimmingly Records
"We Put the POP in Pop-Punk"

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Illustration and Design by Mr. Marc Crisafulli

Track list:                                         
Side A:  Chapel Hill, Surf City
                  Candy Shoppe (Twice)
                          From Eagle Rock with Love


Reviews

PunkUnited.com
Reviewed by Johnathon

RATED:  8/10

Before I start, this is a 7 inch ... meaning it isn't on a CD. I think it's
cool that bands still realize how cool vinyl is though, especially cherry red vinyl.
Anyways enough with my vinyl fetish, and on to the important part about this release,
if you check these guys out on MySpace or are willing to take me up on my good
word you can get a CD-R along with the 7 inch just in case you haven't taken the
leap back in music history and bought a record player. You can do all this ordering and
what not on Swimmingly Records website located at: www.oocities.org/swimminglyrecords.

Now, onto the music, the Kung Fu Monkeys play infectiouis catchy as hell
pop punk with a surf rock influence. They're going into their second decade as a band,
so all the kinks in their sound have been ironed out and this is just pure pop punk fun.

Chapel Hill, Surf City kicks off this EP by reaching out and pulling anyone within
listening distance who likes catchy songs in for a closer listen. The song contains the
spirit of the Beach Boys pre Pet Sounds albums. This whole song is just pure good times
for making a hot summer day even more fun, or for making a cool fall
morning seem like a hot summer day.

After that the band moves onto another catchy song called Candy
Shoppe (Twice). The lyrics and the music are great, I am actually glad they played
it through two times, because one time through would hardly have been enough.

The B-Side which features Kiddie Pool (Landlocked in Lubbock) and
From Eagle Rock With Love, while they didn't draw me in as much as the
songs from the A-Side, they are still near flawless pop punk gems that
stay true to the theme of summer fun.

This is a great pick me up for anytime you are down, so
support the underground music scene and check these guys out.
The only thing you have to lose are bad times.

My one complaint is that the good times didn't last longer,
hopefully these guys get another full length out very soon.
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Punk Planet
Review by Art Ettinger
These four, fun pop-punk songs with a surf influence come from the
prolific Kung Fu Monkeys, now in their second decade of producing irresistible pop. 
Kudos to the label for not putting this out on CD, but instead offering those who buy
the vinyl the option of additionally getting a CD-R thrown into the package. 
Now _that's_ an interesting message to send to those enamored with digital music: 
you're getting it on vinyl whether you want to or not!  Momentarily, there's going
to be a group of kids with large stacks of CD's and only one records.  Eventually they'll
have to get a turntable to save themselves from the shame of being a poseur that's purchased
the Kung Fu Monkeys 7" without a means to play it.  This vinyl-addicting tactic is as brilliant
as the record itself, which pounds with youthful energy, as critical subjects like summer
vacation, candy shops, and surfing in Chapel Hill are tackled with glee.  The Kung Fu Monkeys are
 capable of putting even the grumpiest of grumps in a good mood,
and I thank them for staying true to form.
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Go Metric
Reviewed by Mike Faloon

With another school year on the horizon, a KFM platter,
the embodiment of all that’s cool and sweet about el verano,
isn’t so much welcome as necessary. 

I read a review of this  record that stated something to the effect of
“good songs, but nothing new,” and I have to take issue with the second
half of that.  Just scratch the surface and you’ll find that while the
songs are just as catchy and satisfying, James and company
toss a few subtle twists into the mix.  Check out the way
they incorporate violin into the still rollicking “Chapel Hill,
Surf City,” or the acoustic guitar that drives “From Eagle
Rock with Love,” or James’ guitar work on the instrumental
“Kiddie Pool (Landlocked in Lubbock).”  (I hope there’s a longer
take of that song out there somewhere, it’s just too short as is!) 
And for those who prefer to talk about themes rather than sounds,
well, just re-read the song and ep titles next time your discussion group comesover. 

Always a pleasure and never quite the same!
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Razorcake
Reviewed by Rev. Norb

Music created by human Happy Meal prizes!  
Querents who wish to know what it is that separates Elfin Masters of
Treacle-Core such as the KFM from mere wishful thinkers should
look no further than "Chapel Hill, Surf City" - J. Cahill could have easily
just let the lyrics contain the comparatively vanilla line "The California
coastline is really the most," but, instead, he spent the extra three seconds
to think about it a little bit and presented it in the subtly-but powerfully
altered form of "The California coastline is really the mostline" -
transmuting mere Vanilla to mighty Chocolate Chip Mint with one deftly
placed syllable!  Please make a note of it.  In a perfect world, James
Cahill would be playing Dr. Doom in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie,
and the Stormtroopers in Star Wars would wear sweater vests. 

BEST SONG:  "Chapel Hill, Surf City" 
BEST SONG TITLE:  "Candy Shoppe (Twice)," if only for the esoteric Modern Lovers reference 
FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT:  1.  This record contains the Swimmingly Records
Slip of Quality:  "If it weren't quality, we wouldn't put it out, and we wouldn't
put this little slip of paper in it either.  That's a promise." 
2.  The Kung Fu Monkeys once bought me lunch. 
You're goddamn right there was a milkshake involved!
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AMP Magazine
Reviewed by Jimi C.

KUNG FU MONKEYS = sugary pop punk, with the emphasis squarely on fun
and a strong appreciation of classic rock ‘n’ roll and surf music.
Oh, the harmonies! Oh the melodies! 
A good time will be had by all who give this platter a spin. (JC)


Now Wave Magazine
Reviewed by Lord Rutledge

The reigning kings of bug music treat us to four more pop gems!!!

It always feels like Christmas morning when a Kung Fu Monkeys record shows up in my mailbox.
Today was no different. I ripped open the mailer from Swimmingly Records, pulled out Coast to Coast
with the Kung Fu Monkeys, grabbed a bottle of Coke and a box of Nerds, sprinted up to my record room,
threw the vinyl on the turntable, cranked the volume to nine-and-a-half, danced 'til I dropped, opened up
the window, and shouted down jubilantly in the direction of several passersby----all of whom recoiled in
horror. Summer just arrived four days ago, and this record is nature's way of telling me something's right.
James, Chris, and young Mike are back with four more shots of aural Red Bull. And for the six minutes
this record's spinning, all the bad stuff in this world disappears. Terrorism, poverty, war, crime, disease,
greed, pollution, family dysfunction, hate, and intolerance melt into oblivion the minute you set foot in Monkeyland.
Then it's all smiles and laughter and sunny beaches and flawless summer afternoons and pretty girls and
perfect pop hits playing on someone's transistor radio.

"Chapel Hill, Surf City", the extra-peppy kickoff track, finds our heroes once again mining
early Beach Boys territory.  And although James and co. have gone down this same road on previous
occasions, I've never heard them do it this well before. Heck, I've never heard any band do it this well before!
The Chuck Berry guitar leads are by the book, and the higher-fi production spikes the band's goodtime
groove to Jolt Cola levels of caffeination. If you could put fun in a bottle and pop off the cap, it would
sound exactly like this song. And if such a delirious blast of musical cheer weren't already enough
of a sonic sugar rush, the frenzied "Candy Shoppe (Twice)" harkens back to the dizzying bubblegum thrash
of KFM classics like "Pop Rocks and Coke". It's an exhilarating joyride of a song that's over in less than
a minute. Your precocious little sister will squeal with delight, your usually uptight mom will smile in
approval, and your oh-so-hardcore brother will grit his teeth and scowl in disdain and pretend to vomit profusely.

On to the flip side, kids! The short surf instro "Kiddie Pool (Landlocked In Lubbock)" could pass for a
track off of a Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet best-of. Every time I hear it, I can't help but visualize black
and white footage of Dave Foley yucking it up with Kevin McDonald on the streets of Toronto. Then comes the
super-swell yummygood "From Eagle Rock With Love", easily one of James Cahill's most endearing songs to date.
 It brings to mind both the sweetguy charms of Jonathan Richman's acoustic hits and the lo-fi goodness of
Buddy Holly's homespun pop classics. Yet at the same time, it sounds distinctly Kung Fu Monkeys-ish.
 It's sincere and beautiful and full of unadulterated effervescent spirit. Like so many of this band's previous
compositions, it's bound to make you feel all warm and fuzzy and smiley on the inside. And oh, what a melody!

It might be tempting to dismiss the Kung Fu Monkeys as just some cutesy retro-novelty band riding
a cartoon shtick that's bound to wear thin. But such notions would only hold up if James Cahill did not
possess such prodigious talent. He's one of my generation's most gifted songwriters---and he's got a
singing voice like no other's. For sure, one has to be a fan of oldies radio standards to appreciate the
KFM experience. But who isn't?! What's most notable about this gang of merrymakers is not what they do,
but how incredibly well they do it! The Kung Fu Monkeys are to kiddie pop what Barry Bonds is to
power hitting...except the only performance-enhancing products these fine lads need are Slurpies and Pixie Stix.

I'm telling you: should it ever become feasible for one label to release the collected KFM seven-inches on
one blockbuster CD, it would be the pop event of the decade! Young 'uns in every town would descend
upon their local music retailers, their piggybanks in tow, demanding copies of America's favorite band's
nifty new singles comp. Bankers and butchers and gravediggers and middle level managers would drop
everything and, for no apparent reason, start singing "Let's Go (to Pasadena to Meet Your Parents)".
 Candy apples would start growing on trees. The president of the United States would be unable to stop
shaking his (or her) sanctimonious tush to the joyful jams emanating from every burger joint, surf shop,
mall arcade, drive-in theater, ice cream stand, roller rink, and waterslide complex in the land.
And the KFM-haters? The Earth would open up, swallow them whole, and put them out of their misery.
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MaximumRockNRoll #266 (July 2005)
Reviewed by Ray Lujan

The Kung Fu Monkeys - "Coast to Coast" EP
One of the Mutant Pop bands from yesteryear, these folks do HI-FIVES styled pop
with a dash of surf.  Hanging in there, it's nothing new, but still a fun time. (RL)
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NOTHING TO DO. ZINE
Reviewed by Justin K.

The Kung Fu Monkeys - Coast to Coast 7" record - Rating:  A

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