(Missing Fink Records) Up from the depths of unknown waters, Missing Fink’s Creature’s Surfin’ Shindig LP features 16 cuts by artists from around the globe, pushing surf-rock archetypes to wildly inventive places of murk and mystery. From St. Petersburg, Russia, Messer Chups kick off the demonic safari with classic reverb and kerrang in “Mini Skirt.” Hitchcocks—from São Paulo, Brazil—gets downright eerie, infusing horror movie sound effects with rolling reverb. Buenos Aires, Argentina-based guitarist Didi Wray plays with a cool finesse in “Milo De Las Sierras,” but Fred Schneider and the Superions steal the show with “Totally Nude Island.” Here, the B-52s vocalist tells a haunted, sea-faring tale of an island in the South Sea where men are consumed by passion. Creature’s Surfin’ Shindig is the culmination of the landlocked Augusta, GA label’s dedication to probing the outer limits of where rockabilly, punk and surf sounds collide with sci-fi cinema and monster movies from the 1950s. Each song is thick with atmosphere and makes a perfect soundtrack for carving on the dark side.
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