Altered Zones

By Richard MacFarlane

A cycle of bubblegum pop songs, the latest full-length offering from West Hollywood’s unlikeliest action hero is ostensibly less “vast” than his Edward Flex or iAsia hypnogogic ragers, but it’s certainly his most ambitious work to date. In addition to realizing the entire cast, script, and set of his own, Troma-style midnight mind-movie, James Ferraro proves that he's ridiculously good at singing like a girl. He’s on the cover sporting blush, magenta lipstick, and his signature, studded jean vest; sometimes, listening to Night Dolls With Hairspray, it’s hard to believe that it’s really him behind all the stiletto divas and gum-chewing Brittneys (Ferraro's spelling). Killer nerds, bondage teachers, and lovelorn teens also make an appearance, and it’s this interest in alternate personalities (or just plain acting) that defines this supremely listenable batch of hits.

Most of the jams on the LP are bouncy and sickly sweet, but late-night, b-movie horrors occasionally surface in hilariously perverted ways. “Flog me, flog me, in front of the class!”, wails Ferraro in “Leather High School”; he sings in the brattiest and most nasal of tones, backed by dark, chuggy guitars and a lone backup singer-- also played by Ferraro. Super ramped-up '90s guitars roll 90210-style through “Buffy Honkerburg's Answering Machine”, which retains the same modern-alienation-via-technology feel that runs through perhaps all his work.

Night Dolls cruises out on “Radio Cherubs”, recalling the epic “Chrome Wave Arena” on his Do You Believe In Hawaii? tape, where rapid cartoon fragments and tropical jungle cacophony bend back to reveal some of the most staggeringly beautiful, TV theme tune-sounding moments around. This hazy, dream-pop sunset is so poignant that it’ll leave you wondering how you (actually) chuckled at the roach-infested creeps that populated the album before. It’s hard to say how much this afro’ed voyager seeks out those transcendent moments; Night Dolls certainly isn’t focused on them. But despite all the other voices at work, this gunk-covered vision comes out wholly cohesive.

"Killer Nerd" lyrics, as submitted by Ferraro himself, and a "sampler" of five tracks from the album:

Night Dolls With Hairspray is out now on Olde English Spelling Bee