Ween Revels in Twisted Humor and Sarcasm

In 1992 Ween popped into alternative-rock consciousness with a bizarre little song called “Push the Little Daisies,” from its “Pure Guava” album. Gene and Dean Ween--two smart-aleck music fans from New Hope, Pa., with a do-it-yourself ethic, a thoroughly twisted sense of humor and the ability to cover just about any musical style--set the stage for Beck and others.

At the El Rey Theatre on Sunday, Ween played a long show that centered on songs from its latest release, a poppier, less fractured album called “The Mollusk.” Joined by a keyboardist-accordionist, a guitarist and a drummer, the duo dipped into country, blues, funk, punk, chanteys, Pink Floydian jam rock and heavy metal, coating every lick with a thick layer of sarcasm.

Self-indulgent to the core, the group sometimes sucked the life out of the set with a few long-winded, tongue-in-cheek jams. But Ween made up for that with some terrific highlights: a catchy, pop-lounge version of “Daisies,” a jaunty nautical tune called “Ocean Man,” and the weird rock song “Don’t Get Too Close to My Fantasy.”

Aided by ridiculously over-the-top lights and an overworking smoke machine, Gene and Dean (a.k.a. Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo) demonstrated why they’ve stuck around long after the novelty wore off: Beneath every wacky lyric and twisted joke is carefully hewn skill and a deep, non-ironic love for music. But the set ended up a mixed bag of funny highs with a few jokes that were simply drawn out far too long.