Ween
White Pepper
Elektra
By now, I’m used to being a bit disappointed with the new Ween album. I also know that whatever reservations I may have about it will melt by the fourth or fifth listening. White Pepper contains easily assimilated songs like “Bananas And Blow” (a dead-on Jimmy Buffet sendup) and “Even if You Don’t,” a jouncy number that’s all about sunshine and low self-esteem. “Ice Castles” sounds like it was recorded on a Pakistani factory-reject four-track, and “Pandy Fackler” is redneck jazz at its finest. “Stroker Ace” is so hot it makes flames come out of my muffler, and “Falling Out” is a return to Ween’s prosthetic country roots.
White Pepper is just your average Ween album, which means it is a collection of uncomfortably likeable songs – you’re never sure if Ween is laughing at you, with you, or being deadly serious. Regardless, you’ll be humming it in the shower for months.
Elektra Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019
