THE WURST
Self titled
Independent
New Jersey’s The Wurst is another band that opened for The Undead May 29 in Tompkins Square Park. Between them and Universal Truth Machine I’m anticipating attending more shows and contacting new bands. In contrast to the punk/country and western approach of UTM this band is straightforward punk similar to the late 90s and mid 2000s eras. Their commentaries on the current push toward rigid conformism and discouragement of critical thinking is more sardonic resonating with black humor; the band has a female vocalist and her approach suggests seething contempt. Ashley Amoeba channels these emotions with a voice like a sharpened knife, backed by a solid lineup (guitarists Collin and Anthony Buscarino, bassist Jimmy Bins and drummer Dim DisOi!der) that somewhat resembles the Misfits, particularly in the background vocal choruses. The first track on their CD Mars One is an ascerbic critique of the Mars One expedition we’ve heard a lot about in the past year. It reasons the human race has messed up Earth well enough and so we’re moving on to mess up another planet. I searched the internet for information on Walter Freeman so I could know what the song was about. I read he was a physician who performed an extensive amount of lobotomies during his career. He was also known to be somewhat of an oddball. It was an interesting topic to base a song on, and Ashley shifts to a Debbie Harry-like vocal in the refrain of this song. The next song I Lost My Mind I remembered most from their May 29 show. The song and especially the chorus reminded me of NYC locals Deviant Behavior. Born Again makes a jab at Christian televangelists who exploit their audiences for money. Dim Song has Ashley exploring the Debbie Harry side to her singing again. And Soylent Green is my personal favorite, being based on the 1973 movie with Charlton Heston (if you haven’t seen the movie I’d recommend watching it on the net or buying a copy). -Dave Wolff
Track list:
1. Mars One
2. Walter Freeman
3. I Lost My Mind
4. Born Again
5. Dim Song
6. Soylent Green
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