Country : Russia Label : Gitaracula Genres and styles : Rock / Surf Year : 2020

Don’t Say Cheese

· by Rupert Bottenberg

Russia’s leading contribution to the retro reverb revival of the last few decades is Messer Chups, which is tremolo tsar Oleg Gitaracula and his rhythm section, bassist Zombierella and drummer Rockin’ Eugene – a pair that are almost literal incarnations of The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show’s Boris and Natasha. 

Their latest of many albums was released on the first of May, which would have been like the Fourth of July for these comrades from Saint Petersburg, were we still in the Cold War era. That’s the antiquated zeitgeist the trio wallow in, though it isn’t Soviet kitsch that turns their cranks, but rather all-American Atomic Age trash culture – particularly vintage horror movies.

Funny thing about Messer Chups is how much more conventional they’ve become over the 20 years they’ve been at it. Their early records were rife with snatches of B-movie dialogue, Halloween sound effects, and strange instrumentation. They were like the creature-feature complement to the kitsch retrofuturism of Man or Astro-man? in a drive-in double bill. Both bands treated the proverbial rock ’n’ roll garage as a science lab.

Don’t Say Cheese sticks tight to straightforward surf rock, tossing in in a bit of burlesque R&B grind (“Cadabra Box Pandora Strip”), and several curious covers. These include a variant on the prototypical synth-pop tune “Popcorn”, which they’ve covered before, and a surprisingly beautiful instrumental of Chris Isaak’s tearjerker “Wicked Game”. Two originals are reprised with vocals c/o Zombierella, whose spooky Slavic femme-fatale affectations are a definite plus. 

Latest 360 Content

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Samuel Bonnet Trio – Live in Harmony

Samuel Bonnet Trio – Live in Harmony

Marc-André Hamelin; Quatuor Takacs – Dvořák & Price : Piano Quintets

Marc-André Hamelin; Quatuor Takacs – Dvořák & Price : Piano Quintets

Oktopus – Brahms, Balkans & Bagels

Oktopus – Brahms, Balkans & Bagels

OCM: Bernstein and his “Side stories” in the spotlight

OCM: Bernstein and his “Side stories” in the spotlight

Abracadabra! Klô Pelgag is Back

Abracadabra! Klô Pelgag is Back

Constantinople – Nordic Lights in Persian Sky

Constantinople – Nordic Lights in Persian Sky

Salin – Rammana

Salin – Rammana

Real Farmer – RF II

Real Farmer – RF II

Syncopation & Synergy: Karneef’s jazz fusion meshes with Rapallo’s corporate yacht pop

Syncopation & Synergy: Karneef’s jazz fusion meshes with Rapallo’s corporate yacht pop

Classica 2025 Presented by Marc Boucher: The Art of The Piano with Serhiy Salov and Jean-Philippe Sylvestre

Classica 2025 Presented by Marc Boucher: The Art of The Piano with Serhiy Salov and Jean-Philippe Sylvestre

Classica 2025 Presented by Marc Boucher: Women’s Cellos

Classica 2025 Presented by Marc Boucher: Women’s Cellos

Classica 2025 presented by Marc Boucher: The Köln Concert String Quartet

Classica 2025 presented by Marc Boucher: The Köln Concert String Quartet

Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble / Zygmunt Krauze – Konteksty

Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble / Zygmunt Krauze – Konteksty

dope.gng – Fiend II

dope.gng – Fiend II

Bells Larsen – Blurring Time

Bells Larsen – Blurring Time

Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Le Vivier: many skills, few surprises

Le Vivier: many skills, few surprises

SAT’s Substrat Sound Series: IRLʼs soundscapes

SAT’s Substrat Sound Series: IRLʼs soundscapes

Subscribe to our newsletter