Let’s face it, most killer hooks are instrumental. It’s a guitar lick, a piano riff, or even a trumpet solo. Today’s post pays tribute to those performers who have no words – just ever so alluring instrumental hooks.

We kick things off with the self-described ‘desert-influenced, surf-infused’ style of Austin, Texas band Sheverb. Their new album She Rides Again is a close study of what might be called the Morricone school of spaghetti-western guitar playing, with a strong touch of psychedelia in places. “Redemption of the River Witch” is so on point you can practically taste the dusty grit on your lips, complete with trumpet, whistling and some psych-guitar freak-out playing two-thirds in. Canada’s cold cold capital of Ottawa turns out some pretty hot guitar playing from the likes of The Reverb Syndicate. The title track from their last album Last of the V8 Interceptors is nothing but tasty licks all  the way through. I could ride that lead guitar melody into replay country all day long. For more dextrous lead guitar playing look no further than Messer Chups. These guys have a swamp monster rocking vibe and a strong sense of fun, well-illustrated with albums titles like Taste the Blood of Guitaracula and The Curse of Catzilla. From the former LP we feature the hot-blooded romp “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”

Time to take this party political, performatively speaking that is. Seems some bands can’t get enough of that Cold War nostalgia. While hailing from St. Catharines, Ontario The Kaputniks appear to love all things from our bygone bipolar world. “Politburo Dance Party” conjures images of rather rotund men in too-tight suits and uniforms dancing somewhat formally, like their lives might depend on it. In a similar vein People’s Defence Force evoke the menace and Bond-esque mystery of a cinematic 1960s Cold War on “Gear Head.” The deft application of rumbly lead guitar and few Balkan- style melodic interludes will have you reaching for the keys of your imaginary English sports car. Another group of attentive movie music aficionados can be found amongst the ranks of the music collective Morricone Youth. Their various film-themed LPs cover westerns, horror, socialist realism, porn scores and more! Here we feature two tunes from two different albums, “Barber Twist” from A Song of Two Humans and “Eva Kant” from Danger: Diabolik. Where the former gives off a retro Get Smart! vibe the latter has a much a more serious 1960s smart-pop sound.

Time to take things in more keyboard kind of direction. The Link Quartet hit the keys hard on their come-back single “The Saint​-​Tropez Heist.” Not that any guitar stood neglected. But just listen to that Hammond organ! It is driving the beat right over a cliff and then some. Toronto’s Cameronoise is also a keys guy, though his records sound like those sixties albums where someone plays the Beatles on a zither. In other words, his organ sound is out of this world, in a good way. The most recent EP is Id’s My Party and I love the way the guitar chords come crashing in on opening number “He Could.” Talk about bait and switch as this great guitar sound is quickly eclipsed by a wild bit of organ exposition. More Austin, Texas is here with uber productive performer Get Set Go. Sometimes he puts out albums where he sings, sometimes he doesn’t. Or, more to the point, there are times when he treats voice as just another instrument. Like on the all-instrumentals album Forgetting Things Done. Just listen to the crisp separation of lead guitar work and the vocal ‘la la la la’s that effortlessly propel the song along.

Let’s wrap this wordless journey with some classic 1960s instrumentalizing. On his recent EP Hot Rod Rampage Brad Marino pays tribute 1963 era surf and car music culture. So Jan and Dean and Beach Boys obviously. Given the period, a rumbly instrumental was de rigueur and Marino acquits himself admirably on the blistering “Tripwire.” Taking up the latter half of the decade LA’s Trabants crank the psychedelic side of sixties instrumentals with “Mantra.” Not to any Hendrix or Clapton excess, mind you. There is still are recognizable melody all the way through, even if things do get hazy in the final third.

Nobody needs the last word on this collection of uber cool and hooky instrumentals. Just hit play and let the hooks do the talking.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.