Puscifer's 'Conditions of My Parole' album review
To Maynard James Keenan, being a musician isn’t some artifice to win fame. It’s an experiment to see music, comedy, and technology intersect, and Keenan is able to capture all three variables coming to a head with his solo project, Puscifer. Front man to Tool and A Perfect Circle, Conditions of My Parole is the result of a three-year period amongst the wine barrels at Caduceus Cellars. A conceptual album that will challenge conventions and the concept of what a band can be, Conditions of My Parole encloses listeners within its soundscape, creating an environment of sound that music lovers can dissemble and reassemble upon every listen. It is a process that fans of the Tool front man will find riveting and themselves evolving alongside with.
The majority of the album has a rustic feel, emboldened by a Western take on things that can be detected starting at the second track, “Green Screens.” Artfully crafted, but with puzzling lyrics, listeners will find the nonsensical word play still relevant. And as if rendered from a remote distance, the song has this disconnected feel that undeniably demonstrates the pulse of the times. A world where anyone can be swayed by a winsome tune and lyrics that try too hard but say nothing, Puscifer does the exact opposite and goes for arresting melodies and unintelligible vocals that say a whole lot.
In “Monsoon,” it looks like Keenan is trying to break down the barriers between sound and technologies. With its intricate mix of reverb and ethereal sound, “Monsoon” starts off like a storm in slow-motion, and the destruction is breathtaking. There is a sense of simplicity to this track that is nearly esoteric, much like coloring outside the lines. The entire project exemplifies this attempt to unhinge listeners by playing outside of conventions, yet what is interesting is that the interwoven quality that could be found off Conditions of My Parole is not entirely purged of emotions, but as a matter of fact, goes in the opposite direction and, as a result, listeners may get completely swept away by the music.
The fourth track off the album starts off in a slow manner. In “Telling Ghosts,” the tense vocals, twisted to a taunt debacle, soon unleashes a rage that borders on cathartic. It’s unbelievable the modulations of emotions that are displayed on this track alone. It’s intense and maddening all at once, and has no regards for conventions.
The first couple of songs on Puscifer’s Conditions of My Parole are insanely good. But as the album moves onto its ending tracks, Puscifer’s sound becomes a little heavier, and though the intensity is definitely wrought from the same hand, the last few tracks need some getting used to. After a few listens, listeners will be bound to become as transfixed by the closers as the opening tracks.
For the most part, the compilation touches on something nearly primordial in us. The experience is laid out to us in facets, mirrors, and reflections, and all we have to do is put the pieces together. The album, in this sense, is total attitude. It has this stance, like it is laying out one’s experience directly to us while listening to this album. The words make no sense but for the fact that each word is treated like a gem to be touched, treasured, and savored. Like meditative stones, each word counts and is purely there for your reflection.
Conditions of My Parole is an interesting album, comprised of a mish-mesh of styles, and although not everyone may be able to appreciate the compilation as a complete whole, there are definitely a few gems that music fans may find themselves singling out. Be sure you give Puscifer’s latest release a try; it may become that definitive music-experience that can change lives and attitudes with just one listen.