Primus – Primus & the Chocolate Factory (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Primus has always been one of the weirdest bands out there. In a post-Frank Zappa world, they’re the closest thing we’re ever going to get to the granddaddy of musical freaks. This is a mantel they’ve always worn well, even if it’s never talked about or spoken aloud. Anytime Primus releases a new record, I can only imagine Zappa looking down from his place among the stars and nodding in approval.

Carrying this idea forward, Primus and the Chocolate Factory, the latest record from these purveyors of the bizarre, carries the spirit of Zappa more than any record since The Grand Wazoo’s death in 1993.

As the title suggests, the album is a tribute to the musical weirdness of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 musical starring Gene Wilder that has scarred and delighted generations of children with its story of a down and out kid and his adventures with an eccentric, implicitly homicidal chocolatier. In pure Primus fashion, however, it’s not a mere note-for-note cover of the original soundtrack. No, that would be too easy. Reuniting the original (and arguably purest) lineup of Les Claypool, Larry Lalonde, and Tim Alexander, the band entirely reimagines the musical landscape of the soundtrack to create a sound that’s wholly and uniquely Primus.

Recalling the heydays of Pork Soda and Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Primus and the Chocolate Factory is every bit as weird and delightful as long term fans have come to expect — propelled by The Fungi Ensemble. Their presence is perfectly complimentary to the Primus oeuvre and creates a new dynamic for the band to play with.

Frankly, despite being secondary to Primus, The Fungi Ensemble might just be the breath of fresh air Primus needs as they move forward. I couldn’t help but imagine how the sparse production of Pork Soda, which might be my favorite Primus record, might have sounded with this added soundscape. The mind runs wild with possibilities at what might happen if this collaboration continues. If this record is indicative of the future of Primus then we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

In Primus’ capable hands, the latent horror of Willy Wonka is pushed right to the forefront. The horrifying aspects of the film were always there, as Tim Burton attempted to show us in his lackluster remake a decade ago. Where Burton fell flat is where Primus shines. The implicit and explicit psychedelic terror of the film is given new life here as Primus infuses the film with a new and wonderful weirdness.

Take, for example, “Candy Man.” In the film, the song is a whimsical ode to magical feeling of being a kid in a candy store. On this record, it takes a dark and terrifying turn. No longer a character of joy and light, Candy Man becomes the voice in the alleyway, the smile in the dark. In this version, he’s the guy your parents warned you not to take candy from.

Then there’s “I Want it Now.” The original — a satire of the bratty, demanding child who holds their parents captive with all of their “me me me” — was light and fun. Here, it falls in line with Primus’s cries against musical corporatization and mindless consumerism. Claypool might be singing about wanting chocolate bars and new toys, but you can’t help but feel he’s really talking about iPhones and fancy cars.

That said, Primus and the Chocolate Factory still has its faults. The Oompa Loompa tracks, for example, got a little repetitive — it’s easy to wonder what would have happened if they’d strung them together into a single track of progressive madness. I suppose that would detract from the point of the album, and they were sort of limited what was given to them to work with — but just as with the movie itself, it felt weird hearing the same basic song at four separate points.

But, to be sure, it’s still a great song (all four versions of it) on a fantastic release. Claypool’s bass slapping has never sounded better, and it’s an absolute delight to have him working with Lalonde and Alexander once again. That being said, this isn’t a record for Primus beginners. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t understand why hordes of people would pay to see Primus live only to chant “PRIMUS SUCKS,” then ask your buddy for a proper introduction. I’m just not sure you can appreciate Chocolate Factory unless you’ve spent some time on The Seas of Cheese.

Additionally, this isn’t a record that one can load up onto an iPod and jam relentlessly like Frizzle Fry or even Antipop. That’s not a fault, per se, but that will limit its overall reach. Still, I don’t get the feeling this is a record intended for everyday use. This one’s meant to be listened to once or twice a year, on a great system, with good friends and a baggie of mushrooms.

However, if you’re a long term fan — if you’ve sailed those seas and drank the soda and sucked on this — then there’s a lot to love about Primus and the Chocolate Factory. It’s easily their Primusiest record in years and, for that alone, it will always stand up well against their earlier works.

See Also: 8 Musicals Primus Should Totally Take On