Search - World Inferno Friendship Society :: Addicted To Bad Ideas

I'm addicted to bad ideas... and I love it

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine a Weimar-era klezmer band that has decidedly, totally out of the blue, to play cabaret punk... on Halloween.



Oh yeah, that's the general sound of World Inferno Friendship Society's latest -- gloriously crazy, catchy and based on the movies of the master of creepiness, Peter Lorre. "Addicted to Bad Ideas" starts off a little limply, but quickly gets into its bouncy cabaret-punk groove.



It starts off with the "Peter Lorre Overture," a stately smooth waltz of plucking strings, twittering clarinet, and rumbling cello. It's a nice little song, but somehow it just isn't a very enticing introduction.



That is left to the second song, a dramatic sweep of piano and jagged riffs, with Jack Terricloth singing equally dramatically: "He without sin, leave home/Licking my lips, running stoned... With a good criminal heart/Hinting at things best left unknown/The spine of the world is rusting/but rusting to gold!"



It's followed by equally colourful, catchy tunes -- the gleefully evil piano-rocker "M is for Morphine," creepy little cabaret waltzes, rollicking jazz-dance, kooky bouncy indiepop, sinuous electro-punk, and somewhat flat punkpop song. It finishes up with a chipper, mellow little finishing ballad, which informs us that it's a "wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful world."



It's kind of hard to put a particular genre tag of the World Inferno Friendship Society -- mostly they're cabaret and punk, but with indiepop, classical, and a bit of gospel woven in like colourful threads. At their best, this band is all about the cabaret Halloween punk.



Sure, they have jagged riffs, growling bass and some drums that can ratatat like a machine gun, or thump with the piano. And the piano really rules these songs, running like a shimmering stream under the rougher elements -- along with a mellow clarinet, bells, strong accordion, twinkling orchestra bells, and some gloriously versatile strings.



What makes this band so special is not just the music, but the winking attitude they have towards whatever they sing about. "Censorship of vulgarity?/Don't take it so G**-d***ed seriously/Who cares anyhow?/Can't you just tell where this grin comes from?" Terricloth sings in his smooth, slightly self-mocking voice.



There is a slight musical lapse near the end, with the mediocre "Cathy Catherine," but coming right after a Casablanca song and "I don't act, I just make faces..." well, I'll forgive it.



"Addicted to Bad Ideas" is a rollicking, darkly witty spin through the movies of Peter Lorre. And it's the perfect Halloween soundtrack for an indie fan's Halloween."