Les Claypool: Of Fungi and Foe

Les Claypool doesn’t seem to realize how difficult his singing is to listen to. His creativity usually triumphs, though. Not this time. Of Fungi and Foe is the sound of a fly-by-night carnival coming to town, bustling with bearded ladies and cigar-smoking chimps. The rides look dangerous and are manned by shifty carnies with unibrows and meth-mouth. The weird and wild take center stage, and squishy fart-like noises are at a premium. For all the oddballs, only a few of the songs are strange enough to be cool. I appreciate Mr. Claypool’s intentions, but I can’t listen to this again.

Rating: *

Primus: Frizzle Fry

Frizzle Fry was a warm-up for better things to come. The wild frenzy of funk and skat singing is entertaining, but mainly just holds promise. Some of the songs sound like they could hang around comfortably on Nirvana’s Incesticide. They have that “live show, probably stoned” sound to them. The innovation is good, but it doesn’t go far enough. They saved that for Sailing the Seas of Cheese. Primus’s greatest challenge here, one that they don’t quite surmount, is finding a way to distract us from Les Claypool’s cartoonish voice. Frizzle Fry is a nice try, but that’s about it.

Rating: * *

Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Primus throws grunge and alternative rock into a brew of their own experimental brand of funk. Out comes Sailing the Seas of Cheese, a crazy, weird rollicking album. It is a cosmic leap over their debut, but the most bizarre thing about this sophomore release is how popular it became. Primus in general is an acquired taste, and slap-bass funk does not usually fly off shelves. Like some of Beck’s stuff, the oddity and novelty is compelling enough to move units. Also like Beck, Primus has gained a strong fan base of people who appreciate what they are doing musically.

Rating: * * * * *