7. La Cucaracha (2007)

Barring an eventual reunion, La Cucaracha could very well be the final Ween album. And that makes sense, not because the record sounds like any kind of definitive summation of the Freeman/Melchiondo aesthetic, but because in retrospect, you can hear the pair running out of steam here. La Cucaracha isn't a bad record; it's just not a very deep or surprising one. After the existential terror of Quebec, the straightforward stylehopping Ween pursues on its 10th LP — you've got your reggae ("Fruit Man"), your country ("Learnin' To Love"), your classic soul ("Sweetheart In The Summer"), etc. — sounds slightly neutered. Still, there are very strong songs here, especially the Melchiondo-sung caveman-rock stomp "My Own Bare Hands" ("She's gonna be my cock professor / Studyin' my dick / She's gonna get her master's degree in fuckin' me"); Freeman's eerily composed serial-killer portrait "Object"; the caffeinated, super-catchy techno number "Friends"; and the smooth-rock triumph "Your Party," featuring silky sax breaks from pop-jazz heavyweight David Sanborn. La Cucaracha may not have represented a great forward stride for the band, but there are enough keepers here to make it worthwhile.