Glorious
Drastic Action | New Jersey | 07/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a fan of them, you should not even be reading reviews -- buy this CD, your troubles will disappear.
If you are not a fan, and have stumbled here unwittingly -- this is most certainly a good place to start. Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater still is my favorite, and to kick off the record with it was a very wise decision. Actually, the first four tracks are exceedingly accessible, or at least as accessible as you can ever expect accordions and anarchists to be. If you can stay for Let's Steal Everything and Annie the Imaginary Lawyer, then you're set.
The one downside of this record is that if you have either the Speak of Brave Men EP or the Me V. Angry Mob EP (which is basically the Speak of Brave Men EP + three extra tracks), you will be hearing some familiar tunes. Never fear -- not only are they great and worth the repetition, but they even re-recorded the title track off Me V. Angry Mob, and extra versions never hurt anyone. Plus, if you don't own those EPs, now you don't have to. Of course, you'd be missing out on Cats Are Not Lucky Creatures and Leni Riefenstahl At The End of Time (These long names are making my review unwieldy), so perhaps you do need to pick up the latter EP, even though it appears to be out of print.
I have to say it -- you must buy this, or I'm comin' to your house to punch you in the mouth."
Party sacrificed for musicianship
J. Root | philadelphia, PA | 08/03/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although not an "infernite" (I feel a certain unease about that mentality sometimes, at least as portrayed by the self-proclaimed infernites around here)as the term has come to mean, I find myself humming world/inferno songs all the time. It has been this way for a while now. Just The Best Party is possibly in my top 5 favorite albums ever. East Coast... and True Story.. have had some solid songs as well. However, with this new release, I feel that jack and the gang have "mellowed out" a bit.
If you don't already know, you must be aware that w/i f.s. can consume you and take over your life if you let. It's a force. Wild, reckless abandon, with a belly full of cheap wine. Top it off with a strange, evil twisted sense of humor masked by innocent playfulness. Oh - and a clarinet, saxophone, strings AND accordion, in addition to the more typical breed of punk rock mischief making guitars and basses. This is the intensity of the inferno.
That intensity is just not as consistent as on prior releases, hold a few golden moments such as "let's steal everything," "fiend in wien," "brother of the mayor...," and "me vs. angry mob." The other songs are by no means bad, they just do not live up to my expectation of how I should feel listening to the inferno!
A solid album nonetheless, and probably a very good starting point for someone getting into the band.
Oh, by the way, W/I F.S. still puts on the greatest live show EVER. Seriously, it is a party seeing the inferno. Go to the show and fall in love."
Thank you.
Erik Beckmann | 07/31/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thank you, The World Inferno Friendship Society, for putting upon this world a funhouse of proposterous rhythms I just want to dance to.
Each song is solid and irreplacable. The cd itself is a little less circusy from their previous ones, (only a little) but still incredible none the less."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1