SPIN

4

• SPIN Rating:4 of 10

• • Listen:

    Spotify

Label: Rounder

Having refined their increasingly impressive instrumental chops, stoner humor, and parroting skills into sophisticated musical satire, New Hope, Pennsylvania's Gene and Dean Ween revert to some of the silliest parodies and jokes of their 20-year career. That would be okay if the songs were stronger or if the genres they chose to mutilate weren't so noxious: Instead of psychedelic pop or Princely funk, they regurgitate limp fake reggae, crappy country yee-haw, dorky Eurodance, and nasty New Age. The David Sanborn-soloing finale, "Your Party," delivers a flawless Al Stewart "Year of the Cat" impersonation, but when that's a highlight, you're in trouble.

BUY: