After turning Willy Wonka on his head in 2014, Primus are now focusing on another piece of strange source material for a new album. Titled The Desaturating Seven, the band's ninth LP will arrive September 29 through ATO Records.
The seven-track record is based on 1978 book The Rainbow Goblins by Italian writer and illustrator Ul de Rico. Bassist Les Claypool was introduced to the book by his wife, both of them struck by "vibrant and intense and eerie and somewhat creepy" artwork. The book tells the story of seven goblins, one for each colour of the rainbow, who pull the rest of the colour out of the world.
In a statement, Claypool had this to say about the album:
The dark imagery and beauty of the art struck me immediately and I thought, "this would make good fodder for a piece of music." The use of color and darkness both in the paintings and the writing was compelling and now, near two decades later, the metaphor of greed, gluttony and deceit vs unity of the masses is eerily relevant. I brought the notion to the Primus guys and they were all for it. Plus, I figured it's about time someone brought 'Goblin Rock' back to the fold.
The album also marks the reunion of the classic Primus lineup featuring Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. They were last a trio for 1995's Tales from the Punchbowl.
For a taste of the new album, the band have also shared new album track "The Seven," which you can hear in the player below.
The Desaturated Seven will have two unique vinyl pressings — a limited-edition "desaturated" version with colourless packaging complete with a white vinyl and a version with full color sleeve and clear vinyl with rainbow splatter. You can pre-order those here.
Primus will also incorporate the book's colourful imagery into their stage setup for an upcoming U.S. tour, the dates of which you can find below.
The Desaturating Seven:
1. The Valley
2. The Seven
3. The Trek
4. The Scheme
5. The Dream
6. The Storm
7. The Ends?
Tour dates:
08/01 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom *
08/02 Mankato, MN - Vetter Stone Amphitheater *
08/04 Cedar Rapids, IA - McGrath Amphitheater *
08/05 Kansas City, MO - Crossroads *
08/06 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom *
08/08 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater *
08/09 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint *
08/11 Bonner, MT - Kettlehouse Amphitheater *
08/12 Troutdale, OR - Edgefield *
08/13 Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater *
08/15 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park *
08/17 Stateline, NV - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino *
08/18 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater *
10/20 San Antonio, TX - Sunken Gardens
10/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Lawn
10/22 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Live
10/24 Nashville, TN - War Memorial
10/27 Albany, NY - Palace Theater
10/28 Washington DC - The Anthem w/ Clutch
10/29 Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theater
10/31 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
11/02 Akron, OH - Goodyear Theater
11/03 Cincinnati, OH - The Taft Theater
11/04 Louisville, KY - Palace Theater
11/05 St. Louis, MO - Peabody Theater
11/07 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theater
11/09 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
11/10 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Hotel
11/11 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
11/13 New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre
12/29 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
12/30 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
* with Clutch
The seven-track record is based on 1978 book The Rainbow Goblins by Italian writer and illustrator Ul de Rico. Bassist Les Claypool was introduced to the book by his wife, both of them struck by "vibrant and intense and eerie and somewhat creepy" artwork. The book tells the story of seven goblins, one for each colour of the rainbow, who pull the rest of the colour out of the world.
In a statement, Claypool had this to say about the album:
The dark imagery and beauty of the art struck me immediately and I thought, "this would make good fodder for a piece of music." The use of color and darkness both in the paintings and the writing was compelling and now, near two decades later, the metaphor of greed, gluttony and deceit vs unity of the masses is eerily relevant. I brought the notion to the Primus guys and they were all for it. Plus, I figured it's about time someone brought 'Goblin Rock' back to the fold.
The album also marks the reunion of the classic Primus lineup featuring Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. They were last a trio for 1995's Tales from the Punchbowl.
For a taste of the new album, the band have also shared new album track "The Seven," which you can hear in the player below.
The Desaturated Seven will have two unique vinyl pressings — a limited-edition "desaturated" version with colourless packaging complete with a white vinyl and a version with full color sleeve and clear vinyl with rainbow splatter. You can pre-order those here.
Primus will also incorporate the book's colourful imagery into their stage setup for an upcoming U.S. tour, the dates of which you can find below.
The Desaturating Seven:
1. The Valley
2. The Seven
3. The Trek
4. The Scheme
5. The Dream
6. The Storm
7. The Ends?
Tour dates:
08/01 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom *
08/02 Mankato, MN - Vetter Stone Amphitheater *
08/04 Cedar Rapids, IA - McGrath Amphitheater *
08/05 Kansas City, MO - Crossroads *
08/06 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom *
08/08 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater *
08/09 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint *
08/11 Bonner, MT - Kettlehouse Amphitheater *
08/12 Troutdale, OR - Edgefield *
08/13 Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater *
08/15 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park *
08/17 Stateline, NV - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino *
08/18 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater *
10/20 San Antonio, TX - Sunken Gardens
10/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Lawn
10/22 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Live
10/24 Nashville, TN - War Memorial
10/27 Albany, NY - Palace Theater
10/28 Washington DC - The Anthem w/ Clutch
10/29 Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theater
10/31 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
11/02 Akron, OH - Goodyear Theater
11/03 Cincinnati, OH - The Taft Theater
11/04 Louisville, KY - Palace Theater
11/05 St. Louis, MO - Peabody Theater
11/07 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theater
11/09 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
11/10 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Hotel
11/11 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
11/13 New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre
12/29 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
12/30 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
* with Clutch
