Antipop

• Music

Amazon.co.uk Antipop, indeed. Primus, led by mad genius/bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, enjoyed past US radio success with "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver". And on Antipop, Primus's usual staccato freneticism and rhythm-propelled tunes are as compelling, demanding, and provocative as ever. Like Mr. Bungle, another oddball Northern California outfit, Primus's humor is omnipresent, though not in a Weird Al way, despite the fact that Claypool's nasal delivery is not unlike Mr. Yankovic's. Most of Antipop is patented Primus funk-pop, what with a song about "sniffing paint since the seventh grade" ("Lacquerhead") and the autobiographical title track ("I am the Antipop / I'll run against the grain 'til the day I drop"). Still, there are a few departures. The spacey, seemingly deliberate Pink Floyd homage "Eclectic Electric" is cool, as is the very Tom Waits-like "Coattails of a Dead Man". --Katherine Turman Product Description ... Review Antipop, indeed. Primus, led by mad genius/bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, enjoyed past US radio success with "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver". And on Antipop, Primus's usual staccato freneticism and rhythm-propelled tunes are as compelling, demanding, and provocative as ever. Like Mr. Bungle, another oddball Northern California outfit, Primus's humor is omnipresent, though not in a Weird Al way, despite the fact that Claypool's nasal delivery is not unlike Mr. Yankovic's. Most of Antipop is patented Primus funk-pop, what with a song about "sniffing paint since the seventh grade" ("Lacquerhead") and the autobiographical title track ("I am the Antipop / I'll run against the grain 'til the day I drop"). Still, there are a few departures. The spacey, seemingly deliberate Pink Floyd homage "Eclectic Electric" is cool, as is the very Tom Waits-like "Coattails of a Dead Man". --Katherine Turman --Amazon.co.uk About the Artist On the surface, all Primus albums seem to sound alike, but Primus has never tried to shake things up as much as they do on their seventh album, AntiPop. Primus enlisted a dizzying array of collaborators - Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, James Hetfield, Tom Morello, Jim Martin, Matt Stone, Martina, and Fred Durst among them, all in the purpose of challenging themselves to find different dimensions to its music. Some play or sing, some produce, but it’s amazing how much each individual guest changes the tone of the music. Though there are a couple of good lyrics here, this is by and large an album about music; it would have been even better if it had been primarily an instrumental album, actually, since the vocals get in the way occasionally. Still, it’s possible to get past those and hear AntiPop as one of Primus’ most ambitious and best efforts. No, they’re not always successful, but no two songs sound the same, and some collaborations are among the best things Primus has ever recorded. AntiPop is dense music that isn’t afraid to be goofy or fall on its face, and even if it’s not to your particular taste, it’s hard not to respect this. Tracklist: 1. Intro 2. Electric Uncle Sam 3. Natural Joe 4. Laquer Head 5. The Antipop 6. Eclectic Electric 7. Greet The Sacred Cow 8. Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool 9. Dirty Drowning Man 10. Ballad Of Bodacious 11. Power Mad 12. The Final Voyage Of The Liquid Sky 13. Coattails Of A Dead Man 14. The Heckle