Emerging in the late 80s as perhaps the demented lo-fi rock answer to They Might Be Giants, Ween is one of those duos whose reliance on the novelty of weirdness is maddening and often cripples one's ability to enjoy whatever this band is trying to accomplish. Gene and Dean Ween (much like the Ramones, these guys aren't actually brothers) come across as a pair of high school nerds who were picked on throughout their entire secondary educational experience. But instead of taking the Bill Gates approach to revenge (taking over an industry and employing those who may have once teased him), Ween instead bought some instruments and found a recording studio to torture their nemesis with entirely obnoxious music.

God Ween Satan - The Oneness is a quagmire of goofy singing voices, weird effects, and offbeat songwriting that often incorporates profanity. Unfortunately, it seems the whole point of this album is to be contrary and cantankerous, which to me is not particularly an admirable artistic statement. Yes, Ween excels at grating, weird music. But on this album, they fail to include even a hint of fun. We've all known someone at one point or another who would either tease others or have such a strange sense of humor that it ultimately alienated all those around him. This album is that person. It's over an hour of someone tapping your nose saying, "BEEP!" in a nasally voice.

Later Ween albums would have some occasional gems contained within, but here they have almost nothing to offer aside from aggravation. The biggest problem with a band like Ween is they expect their audience to have the patience to put up with their obnoxious, self-indulgence to find those gems and frankly, the reward is so minimal on The Oneness that I'd rather spend the afternoon listening to small yapping dogs all jacked up on espresso.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 08/2010

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