The World/Inferno Friendship Society
East Coast Super Sound Punk of Today!
Gern Blandsten
Like Danny Elfman stripped of his orchestra-renting tokens, or a well-rehearsed cast of Rocky Horror performing for the last time, the World/Inferno Friendship Society has a sound that’s like a dark carnival, a mixture of cheerfully menacing (or menacingly cheerful) music glossed with a soaring clear voice and the manic energy of a ska band possessed by something quite evil. “Circus” and “cabaret” and “well-medicated Nick Cave” are other words that come to mind, but by themselves none do a good job of defining this band’s sound. The overall effect is somewhat disturbing, but supremely enjoyable. The W/I F.S. is certainly an acquired taste, making at best a lot of noise and only vague sense – current favorites in this collection of singles include “The Models and the Mannequins” (“Movie stars and stolen cars/ both set off the same alarms/ Star fucker’s stroke magazine cover gloss away”) and “Pumpkin Time,” which is a lonely pumpkin’s plea for inclusion in Halloween festivities. I think. On the other hand, “Jeffrey Lee” is a dead-on tribute to the Gun Club’s departed singer. Unique and unsettling.
Gern Blandsten, P.O. Box 356, River Edge, NJ 07661; http://www.gernblandsten.com
