Well for those of you not familiar with the mighty WEEN then this may be a little strange for you. Ween are not your regular band and its so hard to explain what they are like to someone who has not heard them before. The band consist of Gene Ween and Dean Ween who head the band and are the key songwriters. Please go and check out their other releases and get educated!

This album entitled 'La Cucaracha' (im not sure why, but you dont ask with Ween) is your typical Ween release. Every track sounds as though its from a different band which really keeps the listener wondering what is coming next. The album kicks off with a real up-beat instrumental called 'Fiesta' with lots of Trumpets in a real overly-happy song which lets you know your in for a ride with the mighty Ween. Next up is 'Blue Balloon' and this song reminds me of one of their classic albums Chocolate and Cheese (great front cover). The reason it brought me back to this album is because of this weird synth/brass/wiggly sound which appears with such comedy timing it cracks me up everytime I hear it.



The album gets quite raucous at track 6 where we hear 'My own bare hands'. This song is basically about what a guy can do to himself (without the help of a woman) whilst informing a woman exactly what he is going to be doing to/with her. Ill leave that one up to your imagination, but its in Ween's crazy humor that makes it apparent that this is all tongue-in-cheek.

The highlight of the album has to be the song 'Spirit Walker' which is hilarious. Not only is the title funny/cheesy (intentionally) but they use some extreme auto-tuning on Gene's voice. Auto-tuning is a tool used when required in situations where the vocalist is not particularly at his/her best that day! It allows us to take the recording of the voice and move the pitch around to get it in-tune with the rest of the track! You can really here the effect Im talking about in songs like Cher's 'Do you believe' where it is used to create an effect on her voice. Here Ween have took it a step further and allowed the auto tune to do its own thing and tune the vocals insanely in and out of tune with the song with no set controls. Hilarious.

Track 11 ' Lullaby' and were presented with an amazing, melodic and deep song, featuring just voice and piano. This is where the non-Ween-fan realises, despite all the crazy anticks you here before on the album, that when it comes down to it Gene and Dean are extremely talented indivuals who are totally in control of their output. So much so that they are able to present us with such off-the-wall and crazy tracks but always be backing them up with gorgeous ones liek this. For another great example you should listen to 'Freedom of 76' ... what a tune... what a voice.

Anyhow thats enough from me... hope I have wet your appetite enough to go and check it out and other Ween stuff.

Enjoy

-Matthew

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ween 'La Cucaracha' available now on Schnitzel Records and Rounder Records
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

Credits:
Artwork By [Album Design] - Aaron Tanner
Artwork By [Cover Illustration] - Joe Macgown
Engineer [Assistent] - Dean Ween
Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
Music By - Dean Ween , Gene Ween
Photography - Gene Ween
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By - Andrew Weiss
Written-By - Ween

Notes: Recorded at Brillman's farmhouse (New Hope, PA) march-april 2007

Tracklisting :

1. Fiesta

2. Blue Balloon

3. Friends

4. Object

5. Learnin' To Love

6. My Own Bare Hands

7. The Fruit Man

8. Spirit Walker

9. Shamemaker

10. Sweetheart In The Summer

11. Lullaby

12. Woman and Man

13. Your Party