Even though, the vocals don't showcase anything that's exceptional, they're blocked by vocal effects, so clearly Pure Guava wasn't meant to be known for its vocals. The post-industrial keyboard sections may actually be some of the most interesting parts on the entire album for instance, in "Reggaejunkiejew" a blaring keyboard and feedback solo is employed. Andrew Weiss's bass work on songs like "Pumpin' 4 the Man" is no short of brilliant. Though, unlike some of Ween's other albums, he's clearly holding back to allow his parts still fit the theme of the album. When it comes to containing talented personnel: Dean Ween's guitar work is clearly well played and diverse.
What keeps this album so original and fresh is that Ween's later releases (as well as their earlier ones) barely resemble a single song on here. Originality doesn't stop at vocal effects the music for most of the songs is best described as lo-fi alternative psychedelia with occasional post-industrial leanings – so in other words, experimental. For instance, like many songs the album, "Little Birdy" uses its vocal effects to set the mood of the song (trippy and low pitched vocals for a trippy and out of it mood.) Of course, Gene Ween, in specific, still has an exceptionally talented voice (as proven in songs like "Freedom of '76" from the album Chocolate and Cheese) so the heavy use of these effects is not to make up for a poor singing voice. These vocal effects cause Gene and Dean Ween's voices to either be unnaturally high pitched, trippy and low pitched, a silly southern droll, fuzzy, or just echoey. Most of the vocals are heavily drowned in various types of vocal effects. When it comes to being at least somewhat original: Pure Guava is perfect example of an album that few to possibly no other albums resemble. Overall, the mix of topics make it easy to focus on and even deeply analyze the album upon first listen. When it comes to randomness the lyrics do not hesitate to go completely out there: "I am the one who controls the sun/And I know that things will pass/As time elapses/Time elapsing through the sound of you/And the things we could do/Just think of the master/Trying to fool the blastman/Check the cards at the table/Scream softly you are able." Not every song on the album is silly though a handful of serious songs can be found scattered throughout the track list, usually dedicated to Gene Ween's wife at the time – Sarah. Lyrical topics span from love to drugs to an interesting philosophy about depression to pure randomness. Because the lyrics are so easy to follow, anyone who listens to this album should have no trouble getting to know each song in only a few listens. This causes most of the tracks to intrinsically be sing-alongs. When it comes to keeping the listener's interest: Pure Guava is packed with engaging lyrics that use humor as a tool to develop their songs. With the possible exception of the latter, Ween's major label debut, Pure Guava, abundantly showcases these qualifications in an atypical way. The album should keep the listener's interest, it should come off as somewhat original, it should contain talented personnel, and most importantly, it should at least be somewhat accessible. When determining what constitutes as a "great" album, many qualifications arise. It's far from accessible, but if you can appreciate the lo-fi weirdness, humor, and awkwardness of the album then the rest of their discography should be a walk in the park. Review Summary: Ween blesses the world with one of the most original sounding albums ever.