New Primus: “Tragedy’s a Comin'”

“Like a good compost, we needed to ferment and turn the manure and garbage into fine, nitrogen rich dirt.” That’s how Les Claypool describes the hiatus since the late 90’s for Primus, who are back and apparently funkier than ever. At least that’s the vibe I get from the first leaked track from Green Naugahyde, their first new LP in twelve years, out September 13.

The song itself is reminiscent of Seas of Cheese-era Primus, with a more jammy, liquid-bass feel akin to recent solo Claypool outings. It also immediately reminds me of later Primus work, like Antipop‘s underrated “Ballad of Bodacious.” Original drummer Jay Lane keeps the groove throughout, Ler’s guitar playing is a signature, eery backdrop, and Les still packs a mean punch on his bass, not that anybody’s surprised.

In typical Claypool lyrical fashion, the track is an odd commentary on what a lot of people, or at least many loony fundamentalists, have been warning the rest of us about: the end of the world. As Les puts it to the fear-mongers, “who says lemmings can’t dance as they go over the cliff?” Listen to “Tragedy’s a Comin'” over at SPIN.COM.


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