Antipop

Antipop is Primus’ take on the “duets album” concept, with a cast of collaborators reflecting the band’s diverse interests and influences. While the Fred Durst–produced “Lacquer Head” emphasizes the raging Primus groove that influenced Limp Bizkit, the Stewart Copeland–produced “Dirty Drowning Man” summons a skittering, atmospheric rhythm reminiscent of The Police. “Electric Uncle Sam,” “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool," and “Power Mad” feature the guitar and production of Tom Morello, whose taste for relentless rhythms and unusual guitar textures is a natural fit for Primus. The band even let South Park co-creator Matt Stone in on the action, and “Natural Joe” is perfectly aligned to the group’s early heyday. While metal gods James Hetfield and Jim Martin guest on the aptly titled “Eclectic Electric,” the most satisfying guest has to be Tom Waits, who conjures the album’s circus-like intro. He reappears for “Coattails of a Dead Man,” the inebriated waltz that closes the album. Waits and Claypool have long admired and borrowed from each other’s work, and bringing that kind of unseen kinship to light is Antipop's central mission.