SOUNDTRACK: PRIMUS-Tales from the Punchbowl (1995).
Tales from the Punchbowl is the final album to feature Tim Alexander on drums (until he came back a decade or so later). It was never a favorite although it has some really good songs on it. I feel like their songs were getting a bit too long and kind of dull at this point–all of the songs weren’t fun.
“Professor Nuttbutter’s House of Treats” the opening song, is over 7 minutes long. It starts off with cheering and what I think of as circus music. Then the bass comes rumbling in. After about a minute the proper bass riff begins and the heavy heavy guitar crunching follows. It’s a surprisingly heavy opening song. By around 3 minutes, Ler plays a crazy solo and then the song slows down into a jam band sounding song–a bass solo and a normal guitar solo. Around 5 minutes the song turns into something else–a fast bass line with Ler’s repeated solo and Les (I guess) talking over something although it’s kind of inaudible. It’s a weird way to start the album. “Mrs Blaileen” is a quietly sung song with a groovy bass and drums.
The two biggest hits on the album were “Wynona’s Big Brown beaver” and “Southbound Pachyderm,.” I forgot just what a great song “Wynona” is. Anytime Primus does a fun bouncy song you know it’s going to be good. And between the bass and the guitar this song is just instantly catchy (but because MTV thought it was vulgar they only played it after midnight, so it never became quite the hit it could have). “Southbound” is a slower song with a smooth bass punctuated by a dissonant riff that is strangely compelling. At 6 minutes it an unexpected hit, but Primus has been doing the unexpected for ages now.
“Space Farm” is a 2 minute piece of weirdness with a South Park type bass riff and the sounds of, yes, farm animals in space. I find that I can’t get into “Year of the Parrot” that much. Not sure why. I think I don’t like the songs that feature Les’s slow vocals and rhythms, I like the faster more upbeat tracks. “Hellbound 17 1/2” is called a “theme” and it could feel like a theme song, although the South Park theme is better.
I don’t mention Tim’s drums enough in these songs, but they are great starting point to “Glass Sandwich” which follows up the opening cool drum sequence with a bowed bass. It’s a little slow as well. But a song like “Del Davis Tree Farm” brings the excitement back with the weird and unexpectedly poppy chorus. The next song is “De Anza Jig.” I love Primus’ goofy song like this one, big wet bass and Ler’s banjo tells a funny story in Les’s cartoon voice. “On the Tweek Again” is a dark song with a big bass sound and Ler’s effects filled guitars. The disc ends with “Over the Electric Grapevine” is a great 6 minute song (sometimes when they are long they are really good). It opens with Les’ bass sounding middle eastern again. The solo in the middle is full of interesting noises (I’m not sure who is making what sound).
There are some great songs on this disc, but I find I don’t listen to it all the way through like I do with their earlier discs.
[READ: January 7, 2015] “Jack, July”
I have enjoyed most of the stories that I’ve read in my recent run through of New Yorker stories. But I really did not like this one. I’d say the first reason is because Jack is a meth head and I could not get sympathy for him, especially with the chaotic way the story opened.
I will say that there were a lot of funny moments, in which Jack, while coming down from the meth seems genuinely confused by what’s going on around him. The crazy mistakes he makes are quite amusing, but considering the whole first part of the story was just Jack trying to get to a house presumably to score more meth was very disappointing.
So Jack walks through the baking Arizona sun. First he arrives at his “girlfriend” Rhonda’s house. She tells him he can’t be there [“Jack, who was clearly there, only smiled”]. He walks on to his mother’s house. But there’ a woman living there (whom he calls Yoga Tights because that is what she is wearing). She immediately gives him a hard time and calls the cops on him (could be because he climbed in through her window and his pants got caught and were pulled off as he climbed through). So he runs off with some supplies from her house (“she liked all stores that ended with Mart”). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 