The Deadfly Ensemble- An Entire Wardrobe of Doubt and Uncertainty

The Deadfly Ensemble is the new side project from Lucas Lanthier, the enigmatic and whimsical voice of death rock cult act Cinema Strange. Unsurprisingly, there are some obvious similarities between the two bands, but while Cinema Strange have been delving into their punk rock roots of late, The Deadfly Ensemble is slower and more atmospheric, influenced less by early Christian Death than the latter-day dark cabaret of Rozz Williams. There are even touches of Spanish iflavor, with the strums of "Cariadoc's Kiss" hinting at flamenco inspiration while the instrumental "Marimba Improvisation No. 29" is a bit like a cocktail party in the South Pacific in which the rum punches have been spiked with a particularly paranoia-inducing hallucinogen. Like Cinema Strange, however, the defining quality of The Deadfly Ensemble is the voice of Lanthier himself, a squeaky and affected falsetto that immediately identifies the singer's unique style and attitude, whether it be layered over the blurry lullaby guitars of "Tee Mit Honig" or the apocalyptic folk strums of "An Entire Wardrobe Of Doubt And Uncertainty." There's definitely more technicality and subtlety on display, particularly on the beautifully arranged "Black-Capped Chaplains" and the multi-layered guitars of "The Flight Of The Invisible Siamese Three-Year-Olds," but the prevailing attitude of The Deadfly Ensemble is the same Edwardian punk rock insanity that makes Cinema Strange so special. Arrangements built around acoustic guitars rather than drum machines simply give Lanthier a different stage in which to perform, but the performance itself is unmistakeable, much to the joy of those who've appreciated his earlier work. There are also several bonuses included with this CD, such as a duet with gothic legend Andi Sex Gang, to whom Lanthier has often been compared, on "Kriminal Tango" and a second disc of "album commentary" that not only features discussions of the songs themselves, but also a simultaneous separate discussion of the original commentary (the two conversations are mixed to separate stereo channels). Bizarre, eclectic and not a little infuriating, but could we expect anything less from the fevered mind of Lucas Lanthier?

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