We Are the Fury - Infinite Jest

Upon receiving this EP, something deep inside of me stirred, pushing me to cry out against the use of my beloved Television, David Bowie, T-Rex, and the Talking Heads in a press sheet accompanying the disc, when the sticker affixed to the album case recommends it for fans of My Chemical Romance and shows an endorsement by a member of The Used. I'm not trying to pull out any elitist tactics by decrying the band as "poseurs," but suspicion arises when a band references greatness in a seeming attempt to feign credibility, all the while aligning itself with the current trend of pseudo-post-punk glam-wannabe rockers. But, Infinite Jest is a little better than I expected, or even wanted it to be. True, it's rough giving credit to a band who dresses snappy but can't follow up their attire with a musical equivalent, but We Are the Fury manage to be slightly above the rest of the crop of non-British/NYC retro acts, and perhaps being from Ohio, the band never fell into a mire of pretense. Opener "Better Off This Way" is an upbeat, sing-along bit foreshadowing the rest of the disc; "Anesthetic Parade" is more of the same. The Bowie-esque "Parody at the Masquerade" isn't as abrasive as what Neon Blonde is doing as far as revitalizing glam goes, but Bowie and Eno alike would be able to appreciate the track. "Nation, Forgive Us" sees Jeremy Lublin's screechy singing over a really catchy guitar line and keyboards. "Soap Opera" is more of the same filtered through bouncy, pop melodicism, ending the EP on a high note. There's nothing here you can't find done a shit-ton better on a multitude of records from the 70's, but if you're looking for something immediately pleasing and easy to remember, this is probably a good one to go with. Where Neon Blonde is weird and confrontational, We Are the Fury is there on the other end, penning a catchier answer to the former band's output. And yeah, sometimes it's annoying to have the accessible counterparts to the artsy innovators, but in this case, at least not yet, I won't be bitching. [www.wearethefury.net]