WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY "Red Eyed Soul" (Chunksaah) Review by James Hepplewhite
If there is a term for this record it would "Han Solo-ish."
Han's charm has been discussed the world over, from Kevin J. Anderson to Kevin Smith and it's that sense of charm that permeates the World/Inferno Friendship Society's Red Eyed Soul.
Red Eyed Soul is what would happen if an anarchist punk rock band played with the cabaret from Moulin Rouge. There's pianos, saxophones, violins, trumpets, cellos, keyboards, trombones and accordions, oh my! It sounds crazy. It sounds nutty. And it works. For 15 tracks, it works, and how.
The first track, "Brother of the Mayor Of Bridgewater" (and obvious single, if this group was ever to get any airplay) represents the crazy, crazy musical heights this group can achieve, and one listen will instantly convert you to a believer, or as the fans call themselves, Infernites. Is it a pop song? A swing song? A punk song? Who cares?
And while there's no song on Red Eyed Soul that's as immediately "end of year mixtape/tell all your friends for the next 3 months" worthy, within a mere two listens, the disc has its hooks in you, and it ain't letting go.
Red Eyed Soul, and by extension, the WORLD/INFERNO FREINDSHIP SOCIETY doesn't just defy categorization, it spits in its face. For lack of a better term, "scruffy circus music" and the group's own description a "punk rock orchestra" will have to do. It goes without saying then, that Red Eyed Soul isn't going to sit well as something to follow a diet of more straightforward music, but listened to on its own, I found myself smiling, tapping my toes and singing along, or
least making my best attempt to sing along, even though I can barely hold a key.
Red Eyed Soul is a bold artistic statement (sounds classy doesn't it?). It's memorable, it's anthemic, it questions and it rips at the beliefs that we base our society on. If you're looking for something different, important and fun, all at the same time, then I can think of no CD that fits the bill as well as Red Eyed Soul. Highly reccomended.
