Puscifer Makes the Best Record of 2015

Puscifer

I have always been kind of proud that I share Northern Arizona with Maynard James Keenan, the legendary singer/ songwriter of two of my favorite bands, Tool and A Perfect Circle, as well as the frontman of the electro-psychedelic pop experiment called Puscifer.  Keenan roams my old stomping grounds of the Verde Valley.  He owns two shops in the old ghost town of Jerome (several buildings there renovated by personal friends) - a wine shop selling his own brand - Caduceus Cellars as well as a merchandise store for his band, Puscifer.  He owns a home in the artist community of Sedona and grows grapes in the small town of Cornville, where I wandered as a nineteen year-old, pretending I was a hippie.  Perhaps I feel that it gives my region some cred to have someone like Keenan see the same thing in rural Arizona that I do.  Many a time, I have fantasized about going to his wine shop and having a conversation with him.  But I always fall short.  His is notoriously private and quite eccentric.  After showing my wife some interviews with Keenan on YouTube, her observation is, "He's a nerd.  An artsy nerd, but still a nerd."

He certainly does not stick to any conventions, but that is what I love about his music.  People always tried to classify Tool, and the band always resisted any label.  Hard rock yes, but far more transcendent.  The same was true with the ethereal sounds of A Perfect Circle.

But I do have a confession.  Even though I am a fan, since their inception back in 2007, I had never listened to a single song by Puscifer.  I was very aware of them, having read several articles about them.  I'm not sure why.  I think that I am always afraid that my favorite artists will have their creative spirit eroded away by age and fame.  Perhaps it was the way they marketed the band - Keenan doing electronic dance music with raucous and rowdy themes.  I mean, their first album was called "V Is For Vagina".

To this date, I have never listened to their first two albums.  But after reading about Tool's explosive performance in Tempe, Arizona this past Halloween, and Puscifer's wild show two days later at the same venue, I decided to check them out.

I'm glad I did.  Puscifer's third album, "Money Shot" is the best album I have heard in a long time, Not only is it the best Keenan record to date - right up there with Tool's "Lateralus" and A Perfect Circle's "Mer de Noms", but it is the best record of 2015.  And I will tell you why.

There is nothing bawdy or juvenile about this record.  It is deep and contemplative, having the same esoteric and mystical quality, yet also containing tongue-in-cheek humor that all of Keenan's work has.  He proves that it doesn't matter what genre he is dabbling in.  As a songwriter, the Force is strong with him.  Yes, most of the songs are ambient and electronic, and other people have said that this is darker and moodier than Puscifer's other releases.  But there is still the exquisite musicianship that is trademark to all of Keenan's endeavors.  Keenan also knows that relying on the gifts of other artists is key to making great music.  Not only is his smooth-as-silk voice prevalent, but Carina Round's angelic voice flits through all of the songs.  There are also a round of guest musicians, including Tim Alexander on drums, who formerly performed with, not only Primus, but Major Lingo, another Northern Arizona favorite from Verde Valley.

The album starts out with an electronic pulse on the first track, "Galileo", fraught with interplay between guitar and vocal harmonies with Keenan and Round.  "Agostina" is a beautiful ode to Keenan's newborn daughter.  "Grand Canyon" is an epic song, kind of reminds me of the track at the end of "We Were Soldiers".  I'm sure you know the one.  I'm not sure if Keenan is singing about standing at the precipice of Arizona's best known National Park or at the edge of the human psyche.  Either way, it is a grandiose tune capped off by Round's voice soaring like an eagle over Angel Point.  "Simultaneous" is an enigma.  It starts out with a man narrating a story about meeting an eccentric bum at a punk festival.  I have tried to find a backstory on this.  I haven't been able to find one.  But the song ends with Keenan philosophizing, "Find a way.  Through, around or over."  All while a guitar buzz-saws in the background.

The title track, "Money Shot", is the only song I don't like on the record.  It is loud and obnoxious, like a turd in the midst of resplendent jewels.  It's as if the record company wanted Keenan to put the obligatory hard rock song in there, but it doesn't fit the quiet contemplation of the rest of the record.  It's out of place, being vaguely reminiscent of Butthole Surfers.  But maybe that's what he was aiming for.  The album resumes with perhaps my favorite track, "The Arsonist", which starts out with electronic chimes and softly builds up to a strong climax.  "The Remedy" is a great single from this which captures Keenan's sardonic side, as he sings, "Yes, we're being condescending.  Yes, that means we're talking down to you."

"Smoke and Mirrors" reflects the moody atmosphere of this record with a kind of Pink Floyd vibe.  Another favorite track of mine is "Life of Brian (Apparently You Haven't Seen)".  The vocal arrangements at the end of this piece are extraordinarily beautiful, almost medieval, and the album finishes off with the somber "Autumn", one of the saddest songs I have ever heard.

I can't rave enough about this record.  I have been listening to it for two months and am not tired of it.  Every single song is good, and I recommend it to anyone searching for good and new music.  Moreover, I have bragging rights.  2015's best record came out of Northern Arizona - recorded and released!  What?!