As I'm thus far not quite fond of albums with some poor scantily clad girl's crab leg poking out on the cover, I was thorougly surprised by what was contained inside of We Are the Fury's Infinite Jest EP. I expected something equivalent to ingesting cat vomit, but actually got something that was closer to cleaning it up with your bare hands. It's obnoxious "dance" pop-"punk" seemingly matching Billy Talent's occasional snottiness and punk leanings with the dance orientation of Hot Hot Heat. A strange marriage to be sure, one that tends to annoy but on the off-beat chance, works.

Okay, maybe "works" is generous, but there are moments of almost enjoyability. "Better Off This Way" has a playfully melodic chorus and "Anesthetic Parade" has a relatively dark vibe as far as this style is concerned and a reserved, memorable chorus itself. That being said, these are some of their few strong suits, as Infinite Jest is otherwise just plain obnoxious. The synths in "Better Off..." are unnecessary and out of place. The vocals sound like they were nasally but digitally edited out with clever production. The whole thing gleams with a super glossy, clear shine akin to swallowing Windexed Polaroid film. "Nation, Forgive Us" is plain filler and the five-minute "Soap Opera" -- complete with strangely anguished singing -- is too long for its own good.

If watered down Head Automatica songs sound like a great time, be sure to check out Infinite Jest.

STREAM
Infinite Jest