On its first studio album since 2003’s QUEBEC, the ever-mischievous Pennsylvania-based weirdos Ween unveil another set of skewed tunes that have seemingly been plucked from some strange Willy Wonka-like realm. After the willfully cheesy horn-led intro of “Fiesta,” LA CUCARACHA drifts into the ether with the fantasy-themed “Blue Balloon,” which, along with the likeminded “Spirit Walker,” features the duo’s signature tweaked vocals and quirky arrangements. Elsewhere Dean and Gene Ween mix things up with the twangy “Learnin’ to Love” and the snotty punk-pop ditty “Shamemaker,” capping things off with the slinky Bowie-like “Your Party,” a track that boasts sax master David Sanborn. Largely staying within the same brightly colored palette as QUEBEC, LA CUCARACHA is a fine addition to Ween’s gleefully bizarre catalogue.

Track Listing
1. Fiesta
2. Blue Balloon
3. Friends
4. Object
5. Learnin To Love
6. With My Own Bare Hands
7. The Fruit Man
8. Spirit Walker
9. Shamemaker
10. Sweetheart
11. Lullaby
12. Woman & Man
13. Your Party

Professional Reviews
Uncut (p.119) – 3 stars out of 5 — “[With] hillbilly, vague psychedelia and house. ‘Object’ is a highlight, as is the lovely ‘Sweetheart In The Summer’…”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.99) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[S]imply let LA CUCARACHA happen and enjoy how much Gene and Dean toy with and transgress musical forms while still playing them to a high degree of invention, proficiency and sincerity.”

Blender (Magazine) (p.154) – 3.5 stars out of 5 — “When it comes to creating nuanced and irreverent, yet oddly touching pop and rock simulacra, no one really touches [them]…”