Puscifer — "V" Is For Vagina

Puscifer, a side-project from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, is — hand to god — his idea of a dance record. It's also a mess. I guess you could dance to this, in The Matrix, in slo-mo, with a mitt-full of barbiturates. Vagina is a blend of industrial-tinged grooves, ambient electronics and Keenan's menacing vocals intoning gems like "Can I get a hell yeah?" (on album opener "Queen B"). It's patently ridiculous. Perhaps the best and most twisted thing about this LP is Eddie McClintock's album art. Done in the style of an airplane emergency instruction card, the stylized illustrations include, among others, a crucified Christ-like figure deploying a rainbow-coloured parachute. With that in mind, you get the sense that Keenan knows how ridiculous he sounds but just doesn't give a toss. One more "V" word comes to mind here — "Vulgar," as in lacking in taste or good sense.

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