Messer Chups
Taste The Blood of Guitaracula
MuSick Recordings
Who says Boris can’t surf? This St. Petersburg, Russia band has the classic midcentury California surf guitar sound down solid. Their extensive back catalog has such wonderful album titles as Miss Libido and Hyena Safari. In the past few decades they put out 30 plus projects under Messer Chups or Messer für Frau Müller.
Their paperwork claims “Experimental” but my ears focus on their reverb-heavy surf guitar, a Halloween-themed veneer of costumes and accoutrements, and a very listenable sound. Titles like “Hula Dragu-La” and “Chupacabra v.s Batman” give you an idea of their sense of humor and ability to mine American pop culture for all its best bits. Bassist Zombierella goes for the bustier and Betty Page hair style while Hero of the Soviet Lead Guitar Oleg Guitaracula hides behind his Les Paul and lays down a bed of sharp chords and tight arrangements. A few other band members drop in as needed; I suspect they are studio musicians called in to help with specific effects. While mostly instumental, an occasionally a short vocal appears courtesy of a gentleman named “The Rodent.” Honestly, I’d never guess these guys didn’t come from the Chino Hills above L.A. and boast a secret surfing spot on Palos Verde. Style, sound and arrangements: there’s nothing not to love in this curiously addictive post-soviet sound. I wonder if you really CAN surf the Gulf of Finland…
http:// messerchups.com/; https://messerchupsofficial.bandcamp.com
