Primus
A Handful of Nuggs EP
**and 1/2 out of *****
Before going out on his Claypool Gold Tour this summer, Les Claypool released a double album with Sean Lennon, an EP with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and this EP, A Handful of Nuggs from Primus, so that each act on the bill would have new material to display on stage. Primus is Les' main squeeze, but out of the three, it got the shortest shrift, as there isn't a whole lot to dig into.
The main focal point on Handful of Nuggs is the opening effort, "The Ol' Grizz" which is the only brand new song presented on the EP. It is a hell of a tune as Les, Ler and new drummer Jeff Hoffman deliver a track that feels inspired by prog-rock, but still slams with primal Primus low-end.
After an odd spacey beginning Claypool dives into some frantic, banjo-like bass playing. Sonically it is hard and sparse, reminiscent of the Brown Album, while dropping in prog changes and a sped up crazy ending. All over the map and weird, hell, that's Primus in a nutshell.
Puddles Pity Party takes over lead vocals for the group's straight ahead cover of Ronnie James Dio's "Holy Diver" before the already released "Little Lord Fentanyl" featuring Puscifer finds a home here with bouncing heavy bass and synths/pedal effects.
The brief offering ends with a live track "Duchess (and the Proverbial Mind Spread - Live from the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA)" capturing Hoffman playing in the live setting with the boys as the track is fine, far from must hear though. Claypool has been combining his musical worlds for years now and 2026 seems like a logical coming together. The newest (brief) Primus offering, A Handful of Nuggs, is inspired by all things Les and that is just fine.
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