Puscifer - V for Vagina Review
Posted by Jesse Coy on 11.08.2007
Maynard Keenan, vocalist for Tool and A Perfect Circle, is fronting a new act… Puscifer. What’s the scoop? What does our music junkie have to say about V for Vagina?
Puscifer V for Vagina
2007
Puscifer Entertainment
Target stores decided not to carry the album after seeing the cover image, and Walmart never even returned a call to carry the record.
It’s a funny but true way to begin a review. Upon my first listen to this one, my question became… what is this? Which usually equates to a demand of a second listen to determine just what the heck it was. The album begins with “Queen B,” a refrain echoing throughout the number, “can I get a witness?” You’ve got one witness here testifying that this opening, oozing track, with it’s 70’s funk lounge coolness, Maynard hitting a very odd but infectious low booze grizzled but hip-in-the-know vocal style… this is some original stuff.
“Dozo” follows, with its forward motion drumming, like some kind of slithering train. It has an almost chant-like quality to the backing vocals, and is rooted to that weird 70’s vibe by a funky (is that a bass or keyboard) riff. “Vagina Mine” has more powerful drumming and takes a darker turn, with Maynard maintaining the same deep and grizzled voice he maintains throughout, though I recognize subtle backing vocal overlays of a higher range that are his. “Momma Sed” goes lighter again, kind of like a southern-a-fied acoustic rock, disco track (because of the mechanized drumming only). It’s a peculiar mix.
Speaking of which… who is Puscifer? Quite simply, the back packaging states, Puscifer is M J Keenan. Who are some of the other culprits, though? Tim Alexander, formerly of Primus, and more relevant to Maynard, also of A Perfect Circle. Then there’s Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, who folks might know better as the bassist and drummer for the now defunct Audioslave and… well, I have no idea what Rage Against the Machine’s status is. These are just three folks. There are a lot more. If I were to list them all… well, you know… it’d take up a lot of space.
Time for a back story on the reviewer. How familiar am I with Maynard’s output with his other two acts? First, let me say that my earliest impressions of Tool were of their incredible music videos. Secondly, Tool, who I saw live once, put a girl in a weasel cage and dragged her in front of the amplifier. They told her that they wanted to put someone in this weasel cage, and she volunteered. That was in Philly. I have Tool’s first two full-length albums, and their Opiate EP.
The reason I haven’t gotten the other two follow-up albums was not that I wasn’t interested. Being the music junkie that I am, I’m getting so much new stuff that tracking down cheaper used CD’s is crucial. Tool CD’s never end up cheap and used. Used, yes… but not cheap. As for A Perfect Circle? Well, their debut is on the way. What does this have to do with Puscifer? Nothing… it’s just my back story. Back to the action!
“Drunk with Power” flips back to a darker vibe, which may be “some angry old cracker song,” as the lyrics periodically point out. It sounds to be in the persona of a dark, drunken rant (slow and brooding, maybe like what Tom Waits would do). “The Undertaker” gets quite loud and heavy, and “Trekka” keeps the darkness and heaviness going, though at a slower, chain-gang-worker pace. Wiki has listed the genre of this act as “industrial”? That’s an oversimplification if I ever heard one. With these three darker tracks, you almost forget that lighter opening vibe.
“Indigo Children” restores a happier, thought slightly subtle groove. “Sour Grapes” has Maynard tongue-in-cheek as a brimstone preacher. I’m running out of descriptive terms here. The album closes with “Rev. 22:20,” and that’ll be a surprise for you.
The closest I ever came to something that really whacked me upside the head like this was Mr. Bungle, the surprise coming from hearing Mike Patton’s version of himself in Faith No More, and then hearing this insane, impossible to peg down, but great act. The comparison doesn’t quite hold throughout here, though. Mr. Bungle was Mike’s band before Faith No More. Puscifer (as was A Perfect Circle) is Maynard’s band after his participation in Tool. Just as Mr. Bungle and Faith No More were mutually active at the same time, so too are Puscifer and Tool. This may just be a studio release, though. I’ve dug around, but haven’t seen intentions to tour.
The 411: Any album that warrants multiple listens to try and dissect the elements that make it great? That makes for a contender as best album of the year…
