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Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band visits ‘Another World’ VICTOR D. INFANTE
T
hese are impossible times. Thankfully, Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band is equally impossible, a Discordian dive into musical madness that plays sonic mad science with big brass, blending disparate elements from numerous genres into something that’s ridiculously fun. That’s reason enough to check out their two recent EPs, “Another World is Possible” Volumes 1 and 2, but the Boston-based musical mob gives you another good one: All the proceeds from the sales of both EPs will benefit the nonprofit organization Violence in Boston. Violence in Boston’s mission, according to ENSMB’s Bandcamp page, is to “improve the quality of life & life outcomes of individuals from disenfranchised communities by reducing the prevalence of violence and the impact of associated trauma.” The first EP, which was released in June, has a suitably summery feel to it. The opening track, “Burn it Down,” is composed by band member Chuck Lechien, kicking off with a startling synth-pop vibe which the full force of
OUT ON DIGITAL HD OCT. 23 “Friendsgiving”: A group of friends get together for a tumultuous makeshift Thanksgiving dinner. Stars Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler and Christine Taylor. Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray Oct. 27
does use lyrics from the Muppet band’s eponymous theme song: “We take what we want/We do anything that we wish/We got no respect/For animal birdy or fish.” Which is pretty hard-core for anything Muppet related, but then, they’ve always been a
little subversive. The EP ends on “Ballet Diavolante,” a cinematic car chase of a song written and arranged by Mr. Squirrel. It’s a satisfying and madcap end to an equally satisfying and madcap pair of EPs.
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Millionaire?” to win 1 million euros. Stars Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford and Mark Bonnar. “Scare Package”: Anthology comedy horror ties together deadly events at Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium. “The Secrets We Keep”: A woman (Noomi Rapace) kidnaps her neighbor (Joel Kinnaman) after she’s convinced he committed crimes against her during World War II. “Spree”: A rideshare driver hatches a sinister plot for online popularity. Stars Joe Keery, Sasheer Zamata and David Arquette. “The Vanished”: A devastated couple (Anne Heche and Thomas Jane) on vacation search for their missing daughter. “Tremors: Shrieker Island”: A wealthy man sics a giant, deadly worm on unsuspecting island visitors. Stars Jackie Cruz, Richard Brake and Jon Heder.
OUT ON DIGITAL HD OCT. 20 “After So Many Days”: Documentary follows married singersongwriters on a yearlong quest to perform every single day. “The Amityville Harvest”: A documentary film crew faces a subject who uses dark magic against them. “Monster Force Zero”: A group of cosplayers obtain actual superpowers to fight aliens. “Tar”: An evil life form emerges from Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits and terrorizes the city.
Elfman’s “This is Halloween,” from the animated classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” That seems appropriate to the times, and from its opening heavy drudge to its surprising choral vocals, the song is a jolt of holiday fun. Indeed, the songs on this EP would make a great soundtrack to a holiday party, if that were a thing anyone were doing this year. McPherson returns with the smooth “Movile Madness Waltz (and More!),” a brisk blast of Eastern European cool that plays its Old World sounds with an underlying groove. It’s bright and fun, and leaves the listener wide open for the wallop that is a rendition of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band’s “Dunwich,” from Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s “JugBand Christmas.” I’m going to cop right now that I have never seen this movie, although I’ve heard of it, and while I’m having trouble finding a reference to the Riverbottom Nightmare Band playing a song inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s “Dunwich Horror,” I really can’t see any proof that they DIDN’T. So we’ll just go with it, because this is flat out awesome, a full-blast descent into heavy metal that’s deliciously surprising and energizing. The song
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the brass band slides into, creating a deep, danceable groove with horns. How fun is that? Things swiftly take a more discordant turn with the industrial-influenced opening to “Brobdingnagian Chutzpah.” This song, written and arranged by band member Dylan Foley, stampedes over numerous musical landscapes in giant bounds, spinning out into an Eastern European-flavored melody, punctuated by beat drops that feel pulled from a ska album. It’s wild and unpredictable, and utterly delightful. The first two songs on the EP, and all the songs on the second, are listed as “socially distant recordings,” which must have been an impressive feet, considering how cohesive everything sounds. The only exception is the first EP’s “Kazu,” which was recorded live at Boston’s HonkFest. The song was originally performed by the Bosnian avant garde band Dubioza Kolektiv, and arranged here for the Stationary Marching Band by member Andrew McPherson, and it’s every bit as high-energy and catchy as one would hope it would be. The second EP, released this month, takes a more seasonal approach, starting with the opening track: An arrangement of Danny
