arcane-beautiful To be honest, I don't even understand Primus that much, and they don't even understand them that much, but I liked this album.

Maybe this is a Trout Mask Replica, but I really liked this album and have always been a fan of what they achieve.

The album has a very raw sound, with a major bass force. Les Claypool is one amazing and unique bass player. His vocals at times sound a bit hicky, but when he does sing, he does have quite a good voice.

1. Pork Chop's Little Ditty - The intro basically.

2. My Name Is Mud - What a bassline. The drums really give this bassline a pounding force. The lyrics are quite comical and Les' vocals aren't the worst.

3. Welcome To This World - The first time I heard this song was actually in an episode of South Park (the one with the Tooth Fairy scandal). This song does have an amazing bassline (although they all do) The chorus is also really catchy.

4. Bob - I love the almost waltz like feel to the song. Apparently the song is about Les' friend who had a belt, he took a belt and hung himself, in the apartment where he lived...apparently.

5. DMV - A comical piece about a DMV office. There is also some mentioning of beastallity. I also love the chorus.

6. The Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3) - Jaunty tune about a fish.

7. Nature Boy - A song about a nudist. Funny and very elborate.

8. Wounded Knee - A cool little instrumental.

9. Pork Soda - Gibberish basically.

10. The Pressman - I love the lyrics of this song, very satiracal when looking at the life of an author.

11. Mr Krinkle - A wee bit boring to be honest. The chorus is a wee bit annoying.

12. The Air Is Getting Slippery - Love this song, it's just so innocent, with some harsh euphemisms and Pink Floyd references.

13. Hamburger Train - Way too long to be honest.

14. Pork Chops Little Ditty - A longer version of the intro, basically.

15. Hail Santa - Funny way to end the album...weird noise and jingle bells.

CONCLUSION: As John Lennon once said, "Give Primus a chance."

Stooge Three studio albums into their career, Primus still sound very much like Primus. However, this album is significantly darker than Frizzle Fry and Sailing The Seas Of Cheese from a lyrical standpoint. Songs deal with tales involving a friend’s suicide “Bob” and murder “My Name Is Mud”. Claypool still manage to squeeze some humorous lyrics into songs like “Pork Soda” and “The Air Is Getting Slippery”.

The music on Pork Soda is also heavier than previous albums, but one may argue the inclusion of banjo and mandolin on the album negates this fact. The bass tone on “My Name Is Mud” may be one of the heaviest sounds of any Primus album to date. “Mr. Krinkle” features a great combination of Claypool’s bowed upright bass and Lalonde’s guitar noises to make a gloomy but memorable song (with an interesting music video). The band also includes the song “The Pressman”, which previously showed up on the live “Suck On This”.

This album also contains three instrumental tracks (not including the brief “Pork Chop’s Little Ditty”). The first, “Wounded Knee”, is a well-structured, beautifully melodic percussive piece by drummer Tim Alexander. The second, dubbed “Hamburger Train”, is more of a jam track than a song. Very much a rhythm section-led piece, Ler decorates it with some spacey, sometimes Crimson-like guitar noises. Great playing, but “Hamburger Train” goes on a bit too long for me. The last instrumental piece, “Hail Santa”, features an odd combination of Les’s bass, a bicycle bell, and a talking children’s toy. Not much point to this track, but they had to end the album somehow, I suppose.

There is plenty of material on Pork Soda to please Primus fans as well as fans of progressive music and alternative rock/metal, but this album lacks the consistency of other Primus albums. However, I still consider this a good album worthy of 3 stars.