Ween and the Importance of Experimental Music

Experimental music is important because it forces us to listen more intentionally. We become able to understand intricacies of sound, and open ourselves up to a better understanding of what “normal” music really means. The music of Ween requires the listener to acknowledge its humor and playfulness, but also recognize how well composed and well performed the music is. Upon the first listen, this music seems so outrageous and almost joke-like, but as you listen deeper there is real genius to these musicians’ approach. While the music on Pure Guava is experimental for the most part, it also has catchy melodies and lyrics. Underground music writer Adam Harper writes in Fader Magazine that experimental music was a term meant to describe “a range of ultramodernist compositional techniques as being a form of quasi-scientific research.” He cites experimental music pioneer John Cage, who determined the term should be used to describe music “the outcome of which is not known.” In other words, he writes, “music with chance elements or improvisation built into it, since a composer ought to have completed all the necessary experiments before the piece was finished” (Harper). But Harper says rather, experimental music has grown to including the “radically unconventional, pretty weird, as if to experiment with the very building blocks of musical beauty.” (Harper)

Pure guava, Ween’s third album, released in 1992 and major label debut, fits that bill perfectly—it is a rollercoaster of music of various styles. The New Hope, Pennsylvania band, comprised of Dean and Gene Ween (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman) recorded the album on a 4-track recorder in their apartment. Because of this, the album has a very low-fi sound, and has a very simplistic and experimental nature to it. This lo-fi sound is enhanced by the occasional breakouts of laughter during the recordings, and the almost sloppy though intentional quality of the guitar and vocals. The use of pitch shifting on the vocals is another characteristic of Ween’s music that adds to the uniqueness of their sound. They are able to use it as a tool to enhance their music, and find a way to make it fit perfectly. As the album’s first song Little Birdy, begins, the listener is immediately thrown into a world of intentionally out-of-tune guitar and vocals. From the beginning, it is apparent that this is no ordinary album. The band is also telling us that although they have signed with a major label, they are true to the sound they originally set out to make. They are the same band as before, and just as experimental. The 'trueness' of their music paralleled a lot of alternative music at that time. "Alternative rock in the '90s in Britain and America presented itself as a reality revolt-real people saying real things, as an alternative to the phony rock and pop spectacles of the recent past", writes Craig Schuftan in his review, An Alternative history of ‘90s Rock, ABC Network.

Ween is not for everyone, nor do they pretend to be. Upon first listen it is easy to think that this album is a joke due to the unexpected directions of the songs, and the sometimes “immature” lyrics. The band doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to lyrics, which is what makes this album and the band are so unique. At a time when popular music was beginning to become so predictable and all of the songs/artists were beginning to sound alike, Ween was one of the forerunners in the rebellion against the norm. They were not afraid to push boundaries with lyrics. While the songs can seem off-putting on the first listen, within the next two or three listens the songs will be in your head, and you start to understand the talent that these musicians have. This album grows on you more and more with each listen. It is hard to put a label on the band, as they have worked and continue to work in so many different music styles. This album is considered to be one of their finest. It is one of their most experimental albums, and this comes through the most on songs like Reggaejunkiejew and mourning glory.

Ween live early 1990's

Like all of Ween’s albums, this one takes the listener on an adventure. To first-time listeners, it can seem like listening to snippets of style from many different bands, as all of the songs are so vastly different. One minute you’re listening to some crazy experimental song, then a calm ballad, then out of nowhere a punk rock song will knock you back in your seat. The occasional “normal” song shows a more serious side, but again, the flow of this album seems to be layered to build on an element of surprise.

Some high points on this album would be Push Th’ little Daisies, Don’t get 2 Close (2 my Fantasy), Goin Gets Tough from the Getgo and Big Jilm. Push th’ little daisies, the albums’ single, is quite possibly the catchiest song on the album, with its cheerful vocals and uplifting nature. The song, released in 1993, was popular in Australia, where it peaked at #18 on the charts, as well as landing at #21 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. While there are no big hits, there are many hidden gems.

Push Th Little Daisies single art

In a blogpost on Tbquirk, this was said about the band: "Just as punk made a virtue out of inability, Ween have made it safe to indulge your inner adolescent" (Tbquirk editors). Through their almost childish approach to their music, they teach us that it’s okay to let out our inner child. This album shows that it is okay to embrace your inner weirdness, and to be unique. Although it has been over 25 years since its release, the album is just as relevant now as it was when it first came out. If this album had been released today it would be just as revolutionary as it was when it was first released. I feel the roughness and in-your-face-ness of this album is a great contrast to the over-production of much of the music that gets played on the radio. This album exemplifies how you don’t need a large production budget to make a great album. We need a band like Ween to prove that it is possible to make awesome music with the simplest of setups, which on this album is basically just two guys, a four-track recorder and a drum machine. This album is also revolutionary in that Elektra (Ween’s record label) or really any record label, “had never released an album recorded exclusively on 4 track – other than Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska but it didn’t wear its 4-track on its sleeve” (Shteamer)

This album is important because it shows that you don’t need expensive gear, or even a lot of equipment to make good music. The album also cost less than $100 to make, which was unheard of at the time. As Curtis Settino writes in Tape Op Magazine, “Ween gets away with murder. It is one of the few bands that writes, records and releases exactly what it wants. The group’s songs can be daring, funny, offensive, and tender.” The album is truly unique and experiments with many different genres. You get everything from punk rock, to country (I saw Gener crying in his sleep), classic rock (Don’t get 2 Close (2 my Fantasy), catchy pop tunes (Push Th’ Little Daisies), and even ballads, in the case of Sarah, dedicated to Freeman’s wife at the time. No matter what style they are working in, they always find a way to make something truly unique. This album, like most of Ween’s music, tends to get under the listeners skin the more they hear it. The songs are so catchy that one will find themselves with a Ween song in their head even when they don’t want it there. Pure Guava is the type of album that requires multiple listens as the songs start to become more “listenable” over time, and new listeners will slowly come to the realization that these songs are just as normal as the pop music played on the radio.

In conclusion, Pure Guava is an insight into how necessary it is to have music that challenges the meaning of the word “normal”. Ween shows us that it’s okay to be weird, and to be yourself. They are an example of how important it is to be curious, and to not be afraid to take risks, and have variety in music. The album is proof that it is possible to create music that is influential while using minimal gear and spending minimal money. From all of these perspectives, Ween can be considered one of the most important alternative bands to come out of the nineties. Pure Guava leaves its mark as being among the most influential albums of that decade.