By Erin Lemke
The Daily Cardinal
""To defy the laws of tradition / Is a crusade only of the brave."" Primus remind listeners of their defiant style in their latest release, They Can't All Be Zingers, a collection of the band's greatest singles. Under the direction of frontman Les Claypool, the band uses a heavy bass guitar driven sound and bizarre lyrics to create tracks that are original and thought-provoking.
The first half of the album has a harder edge made up of tracks from earlier years. ""Too Many Puppies"" sounds like an innocent enough title, but it actually speaks out against the corruption that causes violence and war. Intense bass riffs and steady, repetitive percussion accompany dark, disturbing lyrics in ""My Name is Mud,"" the narrative of a crazy, destitute man who needs to bury his friend after he smacked him upside the head with an aluminum bat.
The band also compares the Department of Motor Vehicles to hell—a very common point of view—in ""DMV."" They even go so far as to say that waiting in line at the DMV is as pointless as cold toilet seats or using drugs for relief from painful memories. Primus are able to blend their weird lyrics into the music so well that it's easy to get swept away in the sound and not notice that what you are listening to is pushing the limits of sanity.
As the years went on, Primus seemed to further embrace their reputation as oddballs, and the more recent tracks on They Can't All Be Zingers reflect this attitude. Lighter, gentler bits of nonsense show up near the end of the album and create a sense of balance between fun and darkness. ""Wynona's Big Brown Beaver"" is very upbeat and has a few humorous lines. Even though Primus usually stick to their own unique style, ""Over the Electric Grapevine"" and ""Southbound Pachyderm"" have a more psychedelic, classic rock feel. This is a great change of pace and shows that Primus are flexible in their abilities and technique.
The track that stands out the most on this album, however, is ""On the Coattails of a Dead Man."" An eerie melody drifts along, rising and falling with the lyrics. A haunted carnival comes to mind and wailing backup vocals only add to the creepiness. Meanwhile, Les tells the tale of a lifeless marriage and disappointments, a fitting story to go with the dizzying music. The disc comes to an appropriate end with ""Mary the Ice Cube,"" another bizarre tune that asks ""Doesn't nothin' ever last forever?""
Although there is no new material on this album, it is a great, quick history of the work Primus have done and an opportunity for new fans to discover the quirky little corner of the music industry that they have shaped. They may not all be zingers, but these singles are definitely worth listening to.
