Two months from now, two of Brooklyn's marginal punk-driven acts will be setting off for a joint series of 24 shows from NY to the West Coast, concluding in Pennsylvania right before Christmas. O'Death, who recently released a new album 'Outside' (Ernest Jenning Records), is an alt-country seven piece, which for a fresh take on bluegrass/folk sounds, sends fusing through its circuits the respective momentums of punk and metal.
The World/Inferno Friendship Society, i.e one of those bands whose name it may take a while to remember, work the other way round. Essentially a punk outfit, they tie into their music elements of klezmer (Eastern European Jewish folk), adding a festive touch to their indignated tales of women and politics. Whilst on the roads, they'll be promoting the upcoming release (announced for this winter) of their new single, which comes with its own Turnstile Comix edition. Kicking off on November 23rd at Amityville's Ollie's Point, the tour will end on December 22nd at Lancaster, PA's Chameleon. Streaming below, O'Death's latest music video for their song 'Black Dress'.
"Uptempo" and "Pop" are by themselves two concepts that - in the business of being an indie band - can take you quite far; but if on top of that you add to the equation also comparisons to The Smiths, then the hype can get out of control. Brooklyn's Drowners have more than one similarity with Morrisey's act, and although they will surely feel belittled by such comparison, they should not, because no artists really managed to be The Smiths' worthy musical heir yet (like, for example, XTC were for The Beatles, Robin Hitchcock for Syd Barrett, and The Strokes for Lou Reed - uhm, maybe...).
The band's 3 songs debut EP features the remarkable single "Between Us Girls" (streaming below) which immediately throws us back to the days of "Meat is Murder," with the electric guitar alternating between jangly parts and arpeggios, and Welsh frontman Matt Hitt singing semi-melancholically about some girls' hair length - rather than about how big they are... The edge is slightly punkier, while the songwriting reveals an almost clinical concision (the song clocks in just under 2 minutes, with the first chorus coming in after 26" - A&R allergic to intros will dig that).
The second song, "You've Got it All Wrong," beats a similar musical path, tackling the infinite well of inspiration that (for Brits) is life at the pub, with the difference of a slower bridge, which acts as a breather for the final chorus. Final track "A Shell Across the Tongue" is the punkier of the bunch, but also the one with the least memorable melody.
This is obviously a band with enormous songwriting potential. If they'll manage to write songs as good as these and integrate their influences in a more mature and personal sound, the world can be theirs. - PDG
