Many self proclaimed eclectics will consider simple name calling in the context of experimental music a matter of the listener not being able to understand what is being heard. I’m afraid that’s too easy of an argument. It comes down to the fact that if you give me a recording deal, I can put out a bullshit release too, and someone, somewhere, will like it, despite the fact that such a release was simply the execution of a joke intended to mock.
The following two acts I’m about to review are two of the most popular and for good reason. Like the aforementioned qualities of experimental acts, these two bands have their idiotic moments all the same. However, what separates these two rock acts from their own nonsense is that they have defining moments where their experimental nature is combined with their musical talents to produce high quality song writing. Basically what I’m saying is that when both bands succumb to traditional songwriting, they create some of the most intriguing rock n’ roll out there.
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The Butthole Surfers - Independent Worm Saloon (1993)
Independent Worm Saloon is considered the bands heaviest release which isn't a stretch seeing as how they were never primarily a heavy act to begin with. In addition to the distortion driven guitars, singer Gibby Haynes seems to be in his darkest hour at times. This approach helped create such memorable and disturbing songs like "Dog Inside Your Body" and "Alchohol". In the midst of their heavy rock drugged out insanity the band still finds room to be the comedians they have always been, being sure to never get too serious. When they do show their serious side, the results are fantastic.
This is the band's most accessible album and in a good way because the balance of experimentation and traditional song styles throughout the album remain equally distributed. This variation allows for the common listener to get a taste of the macabre and strange while having more direct songs to keep the release grounded. This characteristic produces a level of intrigue that can lead someone into exploring more music of it's ilk. I guess what I'm saying is that Butthole Surfers is a great gateway drug.
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Ween - White Pepper (2000)
I could have easily chosen 2003's Quebec for this post but again I feel the equal balance of experimental elements and traditional song writing are ideal when it comes to the multifaceted journey that Ween can provide a listener.
My first experience with Ween was when I heard Transdermal Celebration being played over and over in a promo DVD that a previous retail employer had been sent. I knew of Ween for a number of years, seeing their crazy face logo everywhere, but I had never actually listened to them. When I heard Transdermal Celebration, I was shocked to find it was Ween because what I knew about them was that they were a nutty duo that, like the Butthole Surfers, had a great sense of humor and a high output of material. I figured that the single I was being exposed to was merely a joke made by the band, so I set out to listen to their entire studio album catalog. Of course the first 4 releases by the band were off the wall and at times unbearable. Chocolate and Cheese became their most notorious album that saw the band go in every direction at once. Yet, it would be White Pepper that really drew me in.
All things in moderation is something I firmly believe in. Some Ween releases are just a bunch of fucking around with the goofy element very apparent and overwhelming to the point of agitation. Then there's White Pepper, which clearly exemplifies that this is a band of creative musicians that can really play and put together great music, when they feel like it.
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