Go-Go Fightmaster refuses to kowtow to a palatable middle ground, which is a sure sign of Bennett and his younger-generation cohorts" genius or dementia (or maybe a little of both). The album presents bold original tunes like "Buffy Is Dead" (a raucous homage to television"s beloved vampire slayer), "Newts in Space" (a speedy/spacey extrapolation that feels like the deconstruction of a klezmer motif), and the title track (a strangely riveting, multilayered cacophony that"s heir to Ornette Coleman"s propulsive melodicism), as well as a couple of odd covers: Sun Ra"s "The Perfect Man" (done up with deep funk stylin") and "House Carpenter" (an allegedly traditional country song that sounds neither traditional nor country). Bennett and Go-Go Fightmaster do manage to temper their wild side for brief spells with the eminently groovy swing track "Mistrophy" and "Dream Song," the disc"s lone and quite convincing ballad, which shows that jazz-schooled punks have big hearts, too.
