Down on the Road by the Beach

There’s a universal appeal to music that evokes the carefree feeling of sun and surf. Everyone’s found themselves waiting to get away and sip a sweet drink from a coconut, something that’s manifested in the recent veneration of countless ’80s records about this very subject. The elusive one-and-done by guitarist and photographer Steve Hiett is one such record that’s been re-evaluated, but there’s something special that sets it apart: its effortless and transcendent languor. Though contemporary with a lot of AOR and city pop albums, it shares more of its musical language with the Berlin school Komische records like After the Heat, creating spacious ambience with a deft touch of guitar strings. The image it creates in your mind’s eye is the stuff of dreams.