Two worlds have collided, and what glorious and odd worlds they are. After a successful summer tour, pairing Primus with Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, the two bandleaders, Les Claypool and Sean Lennon, have decided to combine their abstract talents into a project called The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Their efforts thus far have spawned the upcoming, full-length release called “Monolith of Phobos.”
Sean Taro Ono Lennon (Japanese: 小野 太郎, Hepburn: Ono Tarō, born October 9, 1975) is a British-
American musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, the Claypool Lennon Delirium and his parents' group the Plastic Ono Band. He has released two solo albums: Into the Sun (1998) and Friendly Fire (2006). He has produced numerous albums for various artists, including Black Lips, and the Plastic Ono Band.
Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, author, director, and actor. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the funk metal band Primus. His playing style on the bass is well known for mixing tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends, and slapping.
“Sean is a musical mutant after my own heart,” said Claypool. “He definitely reflects his genetics--not just the sensibilities of his dad but also the abstract perspective and unique approach of his mother. It makes for a glorious freak stew.” After some impromptu, backstage jams and an epic live sit-in on
Primus’s psychedelic opus, “Southbound Pachyderm,” Claypool approached Lennon about doing a recording project. “I was trying to wrangle up an Oysterhead reunion since Primus was taking a rest for 2016 but the planets just wouldn’t align for that,” said Claypool. “I don’t like sitting around, so when Sean said he didn’t have plans for this next year, we started kicking around the notion of making an old-school, psychedelic/prog record. Next thing I know, he’s staying in my guesthouse, drinking my vino and banging on my drums.”
Lennon responded, “I told Les that I was Neil Diamond’s nephew. I think that is what really sold him on the idea of working with me.”
Over the course of six weeks or so, the two wrote and recorded a total of ten songs with both of them sharing various vocal and instrumental responsibilities, going beyond their core instruments of bass and guitar.
Claypool explained, “Usually I play the drums and percussion on my records but Sean has such a different feel than I do, it just made more sense for him to man the kit on most of the tunes on this project. I took the helm at my old vintage API console and let him bang away. He was happy as a piggy rolling in shit every time he grabbed the sticks…his drumming is like a cross between Ringo and Nick Mason. But I think folks will be most surprised by what a monster guitar player he is, especially when you prod him a bit.”
“Monolith of Phobos” is just how the title implies--an old-school approach to a psychedelic space rock record.
Lennon added, “It’s been an honor and a challenge playing with someone of Les’ caliber, but luckily the Gods of Pinot Noir shone favorably down and granted us a bundle of devilish tunes about monkeys, outer space and sexual deviancy.”
Artist Biography by Neil Z. Yeung
The combination of two of rock's most fearless and experimental musicians seems like a no-brainer -- even more so when considering their pedigrees. In 2015, as his band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger occupied the opening slot for the Primus tour, Sean Lennon got to play with Primus' virtuoso bassist Les Claypool. An on-stage jam during "Southbound Pachyderm" convinced Claypool that John's son could really play, and the pair decided to collaborate on a new project.
The Claypool Lennon Delirium recorded at Claypool's home studio at Rancho Relaxo near Sonoma,
Their debut album, Monolith of Phobos, was released in June 2016. In April of the following year, the band released an exclusive four-song covers EP called Lime and Limpid Green to coincide with Record Store Day. A second full-length album, South of Reality, appeared in February 2019.
Combining two significant rock pedigrees with a whole lot of weird, Primus' Les Claypool and Sean Lennon joined forces to form the Claypool Lennon Delirium. And delirium it is. Melding their
eccentricities, the Delirium succeed in shaving down each artist's whimsies, reining them in and creating an exciting amalgam. This project could have been an indulgent exercise in psychedelic excess, the result of two mad scientists misplacing merit upon a glorified jam session.
However, Monolith of Phobos is a treat. More focused than Primus and less precious than Lennon's solo output, the duo create kitchen-sink epics that rarely bore or allow for attention deficit. Based loosely on Buzz Aldrin's assertion that there is a rock purposely placed on Mars' "tater-shaped" moon, The Monolith of Phobos is a giddy trip into the galactic reaches of psych and prog.
With meandering guitar, elastic bass, trippy flourishes, and some of the tightest musicianship this side of the galaxy, Monolith reveals a new dimension. Performing, producing, and engineering the entire affair themselves, Claypool and Lennon switch off vocal duties while allowing their instruments to wander through space.
Claypool's bass is one of the stars of the show, adding a welcome low-end groove that Lennon's own
music sometimes lacks. Meanwhile, Lennon's guitar work and gift for harmony shine (he also channels much of the surreal spirit of his father's post-Revolver creations).
While not as kooky as typical Primus fare, Monolith still packs in a healthy dose of strange: there's the dirty journey of an old pervert who creeps through the night to get his rocks off on deviant voyeurism ("Mr. Wright") and a jaunty seaman's tale of a dentist who dabbles in alternative extracurriculars ("Captain Lariat").
There's also the theatrical two-part extravaganza "Cricket and the Genie," an ominously deranged tale about the dangers of prescription drug addiction. The final minutes of the second movement ("Oratorio
Di Cricket") lives up to its name, including a disembodied chorus that would fit perfectly into any Tim Burton/Danny Elfman production. "Oxycontin Girl" is the third part of that "Cricket" triptych, a eulogy for a real-life opioid addict. While the lyrical content of these three songs is unexpectedly heavy, the momentum is carried by the buoyant instrumentation, resulting in what sounds like Willy Wonka's Oompa Loompas doling out cautionary warnings in Alice's Wonderland.
Throughout, Claypool's plodding twangs ("Breath of a Salesman") and Lennon's melodic touch ("Boomerang Baby") maintain the levity and fun. On the finale, "There's No Underwear In Space," the duo grants over three-minutes of ominous atmospherics to let listeners drift off into the abyss. It's an apt close to a quirky work that twists and turns all over the place, finally bringing all of their ideas together before sending them off into the far reaches of space.
TRACKS
01. The Monolith of Phobos 4:40
02. Cricket and the Genie (Movement I, The Delirium) 3:52
03. Cricket and the Genie (Movement II, Oratorio Di Cricket) 4:16
04. Mr. Wright 4:21
05. Boomerang Baby 5:48
06. Breath of a Salesman 3:27
07. Captain Lariat 6:00
08. Ohmerica 5:08
09. Oxycontin Girl 5:03
10. Bubbles Burst 4:10
11. There's No Underwear in Space (Instrumental) 3:27
Total length: 50:12
Personnel
Les Claypool – vocals, bass, upright bass, Mellotron, drums
Sean Lennon – vocals, guitar, Mellotron, drums, autoharp, cosmic rain drum
Money Mark - vocals, Keyboards
Paulo Baldi - Drum Kit
CRICKET AND THE GENIE LYRICS
 |
What the doctor said could never be forgotten
“Son don’t you know that there’s a pill for every problem
In this little magic bottle that’s filled with love.”
Well little Cricket was only three
He rubbed his magic bottle suddenly appeared a Genie
And the Genie said, “I’m the Patron Saint of Prescription Drugs
So remember when you need a hug
Just close your eyes and give your bottle a rub…rub...”
Well Cricket didn’t need many friends
Because the Genie was such a perfect companion
His mother marveled at such an independent boy
She said, “Just remember when you need a hug
To close your eyes and give your bottle a rub…rub…”
Well little Cricket was twenty three
He rubbed his plastic bottle but found the bottle was empty
(The Genie was dead)
He was suddenly such an unhappy boy
He decided that he needed some fun
Went to the store, and purchased himself a gun…
You oughta try it, you realy oughta try it...
You oughta try it, you realy oughta try it...
MP3 @ 320 Size: 128 MB
FLAC Size: 311 MB
LIME AND LIMPED GREEN EP 2017
Label: ATO Records – ATO0380
Format: Vinyl, 10", EP, Limited Edition, Misprint, Green vinyl
Country: USA
Released: 22 Apr 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Lime And Limpid Green is a 2017 EP of covers released by the psychedelic rock duet of Les Claypool and Sean Lennon, under the name The Claypool Lennon Delirium. The album comprises four covers of songs originally by Pink Floyd, the Who, King Crimson and Flower Travellin’ Band.
Lennon, whose mother Yoko Ono introduced him to the Flower Travellin’ Band’s work and who knew its members, chose their song as a nod to his fellow Japanese, who he said had been suffering since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It was originally released for Record Store Day in 2017, but it was eventually made available streaming.
The cover includes an apparent reference to Cylons from Battlestar Galactica, with the evolution of man from ape to human, into a cybernetic form, and finally a toaster, a slang term for Cylon in the 2004 series. The title of the EP is derived from the opening line of "Astronomy Domine".
TRACKS
SIDE A
1. Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd cover) Syd Barrett 5:55
2. Boris the Spider (The Who cover) John Entwistle 2:37
SIDE B
3. The Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson cover) Ian McDonald, Peter Sinfield 6:49
4. Satori (Enlightenment), Pt.1 (Flower Travellin' Band cover) Joe Yamanaka, Hideki Ishima, Jun Kozuki, George Wada 4:38
Total length: 19:59
Credits
Artwork By [Original Cover Art & Layout By] – Ben Wittholz
Bass, Vocals – Les Claypool
Drums – Paulo Baldi
Engineer – Les Claypool
Guitar, Vocals – Sean Lennon
Keyboards – Pete Drungle
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Producer – Les Claypool, Sean Lennon
Looks interesting.Cheers mate.
ReplyDeleteThey are a great band my friend
DeleteSuch beautiful music by the Freak Stew!
ReplyDeleteClaypool should do a Lesfest with all of his bands but it would probably be impossible to get everyone on the same page.
That is a show I would pay to see and the last one I attended was Man Or Astroman at the state college town.