What do , klezmer music, a man with the adopted last name Terricloth and Billy Joel have in common? Well, frankly, not a lot except for today’s Traffic Jam, which happens to be “” by the incomparable World/Inferno Friendship Society. I’ll explain that Billy Joel thing in a second.

If you’re not familiar with – and let’s face it, you probably aren’t – they were a revolving collective of musicians from Brooklyn, NY, that got its start way back in 1996. The band fused the sounds of punk, cabaret, jazz, klezmer and soul music into a totally unique vibe that carried the band through seven full-length albums, including a concept album about actor . Singer Jack Terricloth (real name Peter Ventantonio) was the only constant member throughout the band’s history .

Our song, “Only Anarchists Are Pretty,” was released on and is a reference to a shirt that Terricloth saw on a young woman in Prague while on tour in the 1990s. That shirt – unbeknownst to him at the time – was an homage to in the late 1970s as a celebration of nascent punk culture in her native England.

Ok, that takes care of Vivienne Westwood, klezmer and Terricloth, but what does Billy Joel have to do with any of it?

Here’s the thing: Billy Joel pretty much sucks (, and I don’t want to hear whining from the commentariat. This is ), but songs with a hard BJ vibe tend to rule (see also: ) and “Only Anarchists Are Pretty” definitely skews Joel, plus it adds one of the best singalong choruses to come out in the last 20 years.

So, drop the top on your shitbox, crank up the Blaupunkt and let ‘er rip with this absolute banger because it’s not going to stay summer forever.