In Brief

*** Primus, “Rhinoplasty,” Interscope. With this “EP-plus,” Primus wraps its quirky chops around seven tunes by revered and influential artists. The results are amusing (a gutsy stab at Metallica’s “The Thing That Should Not Be”), impressive (a top-notch rendering of Stanley Clarke’s “Silly Putty”) and revealing (a twisted take on Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses” exposes the roots of Primus’ penchant for warped stories). Hardly essential but entirely entertaining.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://ukobiw.net./soundclips