Primus – Green Naugahyde

Primus
Green Naugahyde
ATO/Prawn Song

It’s been eleven long years since Primus went on hiatus, and in that time their cult status has only grown, following their rise to prominence in the nineties with their experimental jams of absurdity. After years of Mackerels, Bernie Brains and Fearless Flying Frogs, Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde, now reunited with original drummer Jay Lane, are back with ‘Green Naugahyde’, their seventh studio album and first new materal since 2003’s ‘Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People’.

There’s plenty of interesting themes abound on ‘Green Naugahyde’; ‘Jilly’s on Smack’ describes a friend the band lost due to a heroin addiction; ‘Lee Van Cleef’ is a tale of Claypool’s childhood, and there’s more in the form of alien abduction (‘Green Ranger’), stabs at reality TV and indeed our viewing habits (‘Moron TV’) and our obsession with eternally socialising online (‘Eyes of the Squirrel’)

There’s a heart of darkness within ‘Green Naugahyde’ that pervades through the course of the album. It’s not all grim but the aforementioned ‘Jilly’s on Smack’ has a deep rumbling bass groove, as Claypool refrains “Jilly’s on smack/and she won’t be coming back/for the holidays” at numerous points. There’s also a psycho-circus vibe of ‘Eternal Consumption Engine’, which ends with a bastard chant of “Everything’s made in China” In a weird way it’s a gleeful moment, and let’s not forget that Primus are forever capable of making catchy, hopping songs that give the three-piece their trademark quirk – of which there are plenty of those.

For example, ‘Last Salmon Man (Fisherman’s Chronicles, Part IV)’ continues the aforementioned Chronicles and leads listeners through a merry swamp march;

while ‘Tragedy’s A’ Comin’’ is one of the finest funk songs I’ve heard in a while, with a bouncing chorus that will worm into your brain and command you to jive; the aforementioned ‘Lee Van Cleef’, which doubles up as a tribute to the actor of the same name; and ‘HOINFODAMAN’, which is aggressive in its delivery but has enough pop and zazz to keep it uptempo.

Returning drummer Lane often takes a back seat in more ways than one to Claypool’s obvious ridiculous bass skills, but does get the chance to shine often enough too, getting a nice little drum intro on ‘Green Ranger’ and chucking in tight little fills and rolls all over the shop when called upon. LaLonde doesn’t even get quite as much prominence as on previous Primus records, but still backs up Claypool favourably, shoving in plenty of subtle licks and bridges above those numerous grooves.

With Lane back on the throne, the album definitely takes a more direct approach akin to the ‘Frizzle Fry’ days, rarely meandering and drifting off into jam experimentalism. The years have been kind to Primus – they’ve managed to return with an album that doesn’t rely on their previous success and still sounds remarkably fresh today. It might take a little while to grow on you but it’s worth repeated listening, and it’s pleasant to see that Primus haven’t lost their touch while in the wilderness.

Peter Clegg

Buy ‘Green Naugahyde’ here

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Mariachi El Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx (2011)

Mariachi El Bronx
Mariachi El Bronx (2011)

ATO

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The Bronx certainly turned a few heads in 2009 when they brought forth their mariachi alter-ego and let loose a homage to that finest of Mexican traditions that received positive appraisal and stood apart in the mainstream music world amongst a party of one. Their detractors will most likely either a) not find them trve or kvlt enough to be real mariachi, or b) will describe them as something of a novelty act.

That said, on album number two, Mariachi El Bronx continue to provide the yang to their main, hardcore punk yin, and the result is another batch of enjoyable American mariachi music. While the surprise element isn’t quite the same as it was on album number one, they still know how to write catchy, quality songs, and Matt Caughthran’s voice still provides all the passion necessary to capture the spirit of this music. Arguably, it’s a step up from the first album; with better all round production and punchier, more complex songs casting aside any doubt that this just for novelty value.

Romance is largely the theme and it prevails in many of the album’s highlights, particularly the opener ’48 Roses’ and the infectious ‘Revolution Girls’. There’s also the polka stylings of ‘Norteño Lights’, a number so charming you’d have to possess a heart of stone not to fall in love with it. There’s even some sort of mariachi/salsa hoedown on the title-track, which features another mariachi band, the all-female ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.

Other themes include bullfighting (‘Matador’), abandonment (‘The Great Provider’) and death and salvation (‘Bodies of Christ’, ‘Everything Dies’), and it’s during the more sombre themes that Mariachi El Bronx excels at particularly well. Caughthran manages to offer a quieter refrain in some of these moments, and the variation provided by the band at these points displays just how much they understand the music and its cultural aspects through their heartfelt sincerity for it.

So crank this album up and enjoy the remaining twenty days of British summer, particularly while the sun is still shining – and yes, as I write this, it is cracking the flags outside again. In September! – because The Bronx have once again created a record more than capable of robar tu corazón.
 

Peter Clegg

‘Mariachi El Bronx’ (2011) isn’t released in the UK until Monday September 5^th. It’s currently available for streaming here

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