By Liam Fowler-Purdy
Ween are an alternative rock band formed in 1984 from New Hope, Pennsylvania by childhood friends Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo. After taking up the stage names Gene and Dean Ween, they began independently releasing music to family, friends, and music lovers of New Hope.
I loosely defined Ween as an alternative rock band, but in fact the only thing that really glues together Ween’s sound is their consistent randomness, making them difficult to categorise. Ween are a band that have truly done it all. From pop, rock, soul, jazz, indie, electronic and more, Gene (Vocals) and Dean (Guitar) Ween have the uncanny ability of turning a genre on its head. Add in some nonsensical lyrics, and you have the wonderful randomness that is Ween.
Their albums vary greatly in sound. Albums like White Pepper and La Cucaracha feature a rock based sound, albums like GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, The Pod and Pure Guava have a lo-fi sound, and albums like Quebec and Chocolate and Cheese have an indie theme. Their album The Mollusk is even credited by Stephen Hillenburg, creator of the show Spongebob Squarepants, as the main influence of the show.
Ween is personally is one of my favorite bands of all time. They show great talent in playing their instruments and singing, and have great chemistry as well. Ween are always good for a laugh or to make you feel happy. Their lyrics and music make it almost impossible to not feel amused.
The Ween albums I would recommend listening to are: GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, Pure Guava, The Mollusk, and Quebec as these albums best showcase Ween’s typical weird but entertaining sound, and feature some of Ween's best songs. I hope that you give them listen and get some entertainment from it.
