Messer Chups- Crazy Price

Messer Chups is the project of Russian composer Oleg Gitarkin, and while the band’s instrumental rock is hard to neatly categorize, it’s safe to say that it would be enjoyed by fans of rockabilly, horror punk, scratchy surf records, Italian slasher films, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, pulp fiction, lounge music, Ed Wood, the theremin, the Cramps, Russ Meyer movies and the theme song from “The Addams Family.” Gitarkin incorporates all of these elements and more, layering samples from Russian B-movies over weird vintage keyboard chirps and groovy horn loops. “Diabolik Boogie” is one of the most memorable tracks, full of theremin, voodoo drums and gunshots, while “Satan Jeans” is surf-oriented, with tons of reverb and distortion drenching a catchy guitar line. Although the drums are programmed, they seem entirely organic; most of the percussion sounds like it’s been taken from early exploitation films. The mellow groove of “Monkey Safari” and the more frantic beats of “Fantomasofobia” particularly stand out. While the nonstop camp on this album can be a bit overwhelming, the classic movie catchphrases are diverse enough to keep things interesting; they’re all pretty obscure and range from the vampire innuendos of “Chasing Young Blood” to the cut-up scat singing of “Bing Bang Bang Bong Kong.” Messer Chups have already released over a half dozen albums and a greatest hits collection, which is a little extreme unless you’re a diehard fan of this kind of stuff, but there’s no doubt that this album would make the ideal soundtrack for that gothic cocktail party you’ve been meaning to throw.

Visit Oleg Gitarkin online at https://www.messerchups.ru/.