The World/Inferno Friendship Society - "The Anarchy and the Ecstasy" (Review)

And now for something completely different... WIFS have created a record that crosses the borders of punk rock as we know it, wandering far into different musical territories that will broaden the horizons of the unsuspecting listener. It is just great when bands take the punk ethos and run with it unconfined by the dictating music boundaries. WIFS seem to do just that in their new record (their 13th record to date), as they deliver a lovely concotion of punk, folk, rock, soul, ska and something else that is totally their own.

Frontman Jack Terricloth and co have assembled to create a masterpiece of modern revolutionary rock that might not be very heavy, but it is Revolutionary and it is Rock for sure, and therefore will go down very well with fans of later DOA, The Clash etc. In fact, we could say that the WIFS is a modern-day reincarnation of a Joe Strummer inspired ghost. The players are all skilled and throw in their solos, musical ideas etc just perfectly in order to create that amalgam of bittersweet, cynical and sometimes melancholic piece of modern rock n roll music. There are guitars, basslines, trumbets, trombones, xylophones, and a sweet back up female voice that will inevitably warm even the coldest of hearts out there!

WIFS: Embracing the Chaos

I am glad to see independent music like this coming out in these 'by the book' times. I mean, when you're faced with such a piece of innovative music, there comes a point you just can't resist and you get into it even though if it's more rock than punk and doesn't fit into any specific music category or lifestyle choice. Another last thing I wanted to mention about this exceptional record is that even though it creates a pretty emotional and personal relationship with the listener, it does it in a subtle and friendly way.  Therefore, it an be enjoyed over and over without becoming something too emotionally charged that you can only play under specific circumstances (like maybe The Pogues, Social Distortion etc). This is real music for all times, from the Friday night mayhem to the quietness of your living room and the morning after.

Congrats to Chunksaah Records (run by Bouncing Souls members) for putting out this pieceof 'chilled anarchy' molotov cocktail of lyrical and musical ideas!