Gene and Dean are back, with Shinola, an odds and ends Cd. It is important not to judge this Cd as a whole, because Shinola is a collection of odds and ends, not actually meant to be an actual whole Cd. Each song is very different and represents vastly different genres, therefore a track by track review is necessary. Available almost exclusively online through their own label, Chocodog (although I managed to find it at Virgin Mega Store), Shinola is a true gem. Pick it up where you can.
1.Tastes Good On Th' Bun – A very “brown” way to start out Shinola. Consists of the title words repeated over and over and over again. Odd, and not in a good way. Not a very powerful way to start out the album. The power of Shinola lies later, and this song could easily be left off without being missed- 1/5
2 Boys Club- If I had one word to describe this track, gay would pop into mind, and that’s not to say it isn’t a cool song. A very 80’s inspired track, with catchy opening chords. Once you hear the feminine voices singing “Boys Club!” followed by a sultry, deep voiced “Yeah Yeah Yeah”, you might utter a “wtf”, but you should attempt to stick out this song, and you might even find you like it. Definitely not for everyone, but most of Ween’s stuff isn’t. Filled with strange lyrics about making love in the sun and cool keyboards, check it out. Hilarious- 3.5/5
3 I Fell In Love Today –Very slow, rolling, also one might feel the urge to skip this, but don’t! It is a shining example of how good of song writers Ween can be. The lyrics are beautifully written, all about falling in love. Very good song for those that are patient and can appreciate it, it’s an awesome song-4.5/5
4 Big Fat ***- Definitely a prime example of the “brown” side of Ween’s work, it’s basically the title repeated over and over with extremely down tuned instruments and heavily distorted vocals. Listening to this song truly makes the listener feel like a big fat ***. Such a funny song-4/5
5 Gabrielle- A true stand out on the Cd, this is one of my very favorite Ween songs of all time. Killer Thin Lizzy inspired lyrics (which becomes evident as soon as the first words are spoken). Awesome solo, awesome lyrics, awesome vocals, awesome song. One of Ween’s all time best tunes, featured on a collection of odds and ends! This song alone makes the entire album worth buying- 5/5
6 Did You See Me? – When hearing this, Pink Floyd might come to mind. Very psychedelic, it builds up slowly with acoustic guitar, then in comes some electric riffs, and then later on starts the slightly distorted, psychedelic lyrics. And then, out of nowhere, a very cool, almost Spanish sounding solo comes out, and then, simply fades back full circle to acoustic guitar- 5/5
7 How High Can You Fly- Very odd, heavy guitars and spastic vocals that fade in and out rapidly. Some very nice guitar work. This song doesn’t interest me that much to tell the truth. It’s not that it’s bad it’s just…. not great-2/5
8 Transitions – A sort of jazz influenced song mixed with 80’s synths. It took me a while to get used to this, but it is really a great song. Supremely odd lyrics, but they flow very well. It’s almost worth listening to just to hear Gene say, “Riding the crystal of communion to a union, Harry Truman is the poor lady's son”. Once again, a nice little solo by highly underrated guitarist Dean Ween-5/5
9 Israel- I honestly don’t ever sit through this whole song. It’s a jazz song, with a Jew reading Torah passages. Welcome to the world of Ween. A very interesting, bold song, I just….. don’t like it. It’s not very good song to sit and jam to- 1/5
10 The Rift – The Rift starts out slow, and picks up a tiny bit of steam. Not much to say about this. It falls in with Israel and How High Can You Fly. An alright songs, just not great. Definitely not a stand out track. Although later in the song, there is some cool vocal and synth works- 2/5
11 Monique The Freak- Another stand out track (I think this was released as a single). It starts out strong with catchy guitar. A very soulful song, with funky vocals. It is sort of Prince like. It took me a while to get used to it, but it is a very good song. Later on, there is some absolute stunning guitar work by Deaner. Whoever says Ween is merely a novelty act just needs to listen to the stellar musicianship on this song. An awesome, funky, soulful track. This song rocks hard. Another stand out- 5/5
12 Someday- Slow love ballad along the lines of I Fell In Love Today, except this isn’t so pure and innocent. The song goes from talking about, “Walking hand in hand like lovers” to rants about Tuesday being pizza day. Some weird voices in the background, but has a nice lick towards the end. Super cheesy, kinda strange – 3.75/5
If you can, buy this off Amazon or through Ween’s official site. Ween rocks so hard, and asks so little. They aren’t making the huge bucks like many more mainstream, less talented acts. It’s worth the price, so get it, and support Ween so they can continue to bring more great, genre hopping music.
Shinola is a very great but. This is one of my favorite Ween Cds. Almost as good as the The Mollusk and Chocolate & Cheese. Easily a 4.5. The only reason it isn’t an instant 5 is because there isn’t a central theme such as in the Mollusk, and this tends for it to lose focus with certain songs like Tastes Good on th’ Bun. Still very highly recommended.
Standout tracks:
Gabrielle
Monique the Freak
Also very good:
Did You See Me?
I Fell in Love Today
Transitions
Not Recommended:
Tastes Good On Th' Bun
Israel
The Rift
How High Can You Fly
