The World/Inferno Friendship Society: This Packed Funeral
The World/Inferno Friendship Society
This Packed Funeral
(Alternative Tentacles)
The World/Inferno Friendship Society has always had more of a cult than a fan base. Yet even those who had already drunk the gin-spiked Kool-Aid were somewhat disappointed with 2012ās The Anarchy and the Ecstasy. The band was coming off its most ambitious effort yet (the Peter Lorre concept album Addicted to Bad Ideas and its accompanying stage show) and dealing with numerous lineup changes. The Anarchy and the Ecstasy was the sound of them figuring out who they were at that particular point in time. Two years, a couple new faces, a couple returning old faces, and a heck of a lot of shows later, World/Inferno sounds more sure of themselves than ever.
This Packed Funeral is an all-around excellent album, brimming with confidence, bravado, and great tunes. Plus, as always, the band refuses to adhere to traditional genre roles. The title track is vintage Inferno, the long, languid intro leading into an all-out punk rock Bar Mitzvah. You like the hard and fast stuff? āDonāt Kiss Me, Iām Running Out of Lipstickā and āThe Faster You Go, the Better You Thinkā is a knock-out, one-two punch. You like the fun, celebratory vibe of their live shows? In āDonāt Get Me Started, Donāt Get Me Wrong,ā singer Jack Terricloth preaches to his choir before the whole thing turns into a second line parade with everyone singing along. Best of all may be āDr. Dracula Who Makes You Get High!,ā which blends punk, swing, and the kookiest of ā60s garage rock. Remember when The Standells guest starred on The Munsters? If they rebooted that show, World/Inferno would surely be the guests and this is the song theyād play. The thing that every track has in common is that they use complicated arrangements to serve fairly simple songs. This is one of the defining characteristics of World/Inferno and one of the main things that makes them a great band.
After the climactic āSo Long Saving Grace,ā thereās a minute-long track of silence before āThe Lady With the Alligator Purse.ā I think the reason they did this is because that last song doesnāt exactly fit with the rest of the album, yet itād be a shame not to release it at all. Itās a pretty, basic punk ballad that doesnāt comfortably blend with the other songs, but also wouldnāt make sense as a single. But isnāt that a perfect symbol for the band themselves? Are they not a beautiful anomaly, peerless yet deserving of the place theyāve staked out? Is that not why they have their own cult?