Ever noticed that if you squint your eyes the word Surrealists looks like the word Scientists? The name 'Kim Salmon' inserted directly before the word Surrealists should have put you completely in the picture (so to speak). Yes it was Kim Salmon letting you know he was still around and with a new band that wasn't a million miles away from the Scientists. The Surrealists took off where the Scientists left off. Their modus operandi was an almighty groove underpinning experimentalism, unconventional rhythms, deconstructed cabaret, some jazz sensibilities, jagged guitar-scapes and the ultra high energy of the Scientists. Added to the equation were some overtones that were downright…well.. surreal. This was, if you'll pardon the pun, a whole different kettle of fish. 1987's 'Hit Me With the Surreal Feel' was a tour de force in not doing things the 'proper' way. It was recorded in such a bizarre way that even the rest of the band didn't get it - Kim recorded the band in an unrehearsed state, introducing to them material that was totally unfamiliar. He used the most 'lo fi' techniques he could muster up on a borrowed 4-track, taking the results home to add various samples and distorted vocals. It cost a grand total of $60 to make but if ever a record could take you to another place (not necessarily pleasant - but definitely bizarre!) it was this record. Over the next decade The Surrealists recorded five more albums, each one slightly more normal than the last. Sin Factory, which is widely regarded as their best work, nearly got them accepted by the masses. There were however, too many 'barbed' hooks knowingly left in to present any real danger of that. In their 10 year career, spanning 1987-1997 Kim Salmon and the Surrealists toured their home country Australia many times, Europe and U.K four times and the U.S.A once - often with the likes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, U2, the Cramps and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. They worked twice with 'mad genius' producer Tony Cohen and once with Memphis legend and wise professor/producer, Jim Dickinson. The Surrealists have been defunct now for nearly a decade. Having recently reformed the Scientists, Kim Salmon has taken on the challenge of re-animating a different monster. Don't doubt he will do it! Kim Salmon and the Surrealists.