The Claypool Lennon Delirium: South Of Reality 2019

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 Lennon 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,

California, crafting an unsurprising sound, considering the duo's origins. Their debut single, the eight-minute mind-bender "Cricket and the Genie", shifts and swerves from style to style, exploring the spaces between psych rock, prog, a little acid, a lot of abstract, and even experimental pop.
                                                                                    

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.
Artist Biography
by Neil Z. Yeung
                                                          

 
South of Reality is the second studio album by The Claypool Lennon Delirium consisting of American

multi-instrumentalists Sean Lennon and Primus' Les Claypool, released on February 22, 2019. The album was preceded by the lead single and music video for "Blood and Rockets," followed by two successive prerelease tracks: "Easily Charmed by Fools" in late 2018, and "Amethyst Realm" in early 2019.
                                                    

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, with a rating of 78 based on 7

reviews at Metacritic, surpassing the score of 70 received by their debut LP Monolith of Phobos. Critics praised the album's unusual sound and improvement from their debut project: Paste magazine awarded the album an 8.5/10 writing "South of Reality is weird. It’s unorthodox...
                                                  

That's what makes the album so damn great." AllMusic noted that "If the duo's satire sometimes

seems cheap, the Tinder jibes on "Easily Charmed by Fools" are a little too easy—they make up for it through sheer good humor, which is why the playfulness of South of Reality charms instead of alienates." Uncut called the album "A meaty maximalist feast, richer and riper than its predecessor."
                                               

[On paper, the pairing of Les Claypool and Sean Lennon doesn't quite fit. From inside and outside

Primus, Claypool has specialized in technically exacting rock, while Lennon favors a fuzzier approach, leaning on vibe and soft-focus melodies. The two approaches appear to be contradictory, but the Claypool Lennon Delirium proves they're complementary: Claypool sharpens Lennon's trippier elements, while the guitarist pushes the bassist toward melody.
                                                                    

South of Reality, the duo's second album, crystallizes the benefits of this collaboration. They pick up

where their 2016 debut left off quite literally: toward the end of the record, they deliver "Cricket Chronicles Revisited," reviving the "Cricket and the Genie" mini-suite from Monolith, the Claypool Lennon Delirium is happily eccentric on South of Reality, yet they manage to reign in some of the lingering excesses of the past.
                                                      

Even when songs stretch past the six-minute mark, which they do, more often than not, the tracks offer

mile markers in the form of hooks, verses, and solos, giving the record considerable momentum even when it strolls to its destination. If the duo's satire sometimes seems cheap, the Tinder jibes on "Easily Charmed by Fools" are a little too easy, they make up for it through sheer good humor, which is why the playfulness of South of Reality charms instead of alienates.
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
                                                         

What a delightful album. If you like the Beatles/John Lennon solo or Les Claypool's various outputs this album is for you. The band mixes Beatlesesque psych pop with tasteful flourishes of King Crimson and Pink Floyd style progressive rock.
                                               

An amazing amalgamation of progressive rock and psychedelic pop built for the 21st century. The

lyrics are witty and sharp. The band is sharp and anchored by Claypool's virtuoso performance as always. What a stunning display of craftmanship. If these guys can do this kind of performance on wax part time one wonders what they could do with a full time commitment to being a band.

SEAN LENNON

                                                       

Sean Taro Ono Lennon (Japanese: 小野 太郎, Hepburn: Ono Tarō, born October 9, 1975) is a British-American[4] musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. 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.

LES CLAYPOOL

                                                                              

Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, 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. Claypool has also self-produced and engineered his solo releases from his own studio, Rancho Relaxo. In 2006, a full-length feature film, Electric Apricot, written and directed by Claypool, was released, as well as his debut novel South of the Pumphouse. He wrote and performed the theme songs for the adult animated television series Robot Chicken and South Park.  

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - South Of Reality
Label: ATO Records
Released: February 22, 2019
Recorded: 2018
Studio Rancho Relaxo, Occidental, California
Genre: Psychedelic rock, art rock, Progressive Rock, experimental rock
Length: 47:30
Producer: Sean Lennon, Les Claypool

TRACKS

 

01. Little Fishes    6:06
02. Blood and Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons / Movement II, Too the Moon    6:29
03. South of Reality    3:27
04. Boriska    5:25
05. Easily Charmed by Fools    5:10
06. Amethyst Realm    7:47
07. Toady Man's Hour    3:12
08. Cricket Chronicles Revisited: Pt. 1, Ask Your Doctor / Pt. 2, Psyde Effects    6:23
09. Like Fleas    3:31


All tracks are written by Les Claypool and Sean Lennon.

PERSONNEL

Les Claypool – vocals, all instruments, songwriter, engineer, mixing, producer
Sean Lennon – vocals, all instruments, songwriter, producer
Paulo Baldi – drums (on “Boriska”, “Amethyst Realm”, “Ask Your Doctor”)
Adam Gates – voices (in “Psyde Effects”)
Josh Adam Meyers – voices (in “Psyde Effects”)
Agent Ogden – design, layout
Jay Blakesberg – photography
Stephen Marcussen – mastering
Hisaki Yasuda – cover art

SOUTH OF REALITY  LYRICS

                                           

Lafawnduh's going to take us to the place
Where we can stand and stare out into space
Cardboard goggles propped before our eyes
Sunburned faces gazing to the skies
Pops says it's like watching drying paint
We're impressed but obviously he ain't
Not really his idea of fun
Waiting for the moon to shield the sun

South of the path... of totality
South of the path... of totality

When Shiner was just a mini boy
His science teacher thought he might enjoy
A shadowbox of empty Captain Crunch
So he could watch the eclipse after lunch
Standing out on the Snake Canyon's rim
He's staring up and she's staring at him
Wondering where his mind has run
Waiting for the moon to shield the sun

South of the path... of totality
South of the path... of totality

It's getting dimmer, a chill is in the air
Baffled flies are buzzing everywhere
Armed with his plastic swatter sword
Pops battles so he won't be bored
The Cheshire Cat dodges behind the moon
An eerie haze glooms the afternoon
Lafawnduh's primed and ready for her run
As the moon chases away the sun

South of the path... of totality

BLOOD AND ROCKETS  LYRICS

                                          

[The experimental psych-rock duo previewed the LP with the six-and-a-half-minute “Blood and Rockets,” a sprawling epic that finds Lennon and Claypool crooning and snarling, respectively, over spacey synths and chiming guitars. “How high does your rocket fly?” Lennon sings on the chorus, his voice elevated to a blissful falsetto. “Better be careful ’cause you just might set the world on fire.”

As Lennon tells Rolling Stone, the song’s dark lyrics document “the lascivious exploits of famed JPL rocket scientist Jack Parsons, the man who not only helped America get to the moon with liquid fuel technology, but was also a Magister Templi in Aleister Crowley’s cult, the Ordo Templi Orientis.” He added that Parsons “sadly passed away in a violent explosion during a secretive alchemical experiment at his house in Pasadena.”]

[Intro]
T-minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal
Twelve, eleven, ten, nine
Ignition sequence start
Six, five, four, three, two, one, zero
All engines running
Lift off

[Verse 1]
Because he started with experiments in the backyard, Jack Parsons
As a little boy he already went a bit too far
But the trouble really started when he found another young arsonist
Because together they were ready to reach the stars (Reach the stars)
So the two of them began to play around with various explosives
Jack had stolen from the local powder company (Company)
The military gathering a bevy of young rocket scientists
Thought the boys would do what no one else had achieved

[Chorus]
How high (How high)
Does your rocket fly? (Does your rocket fly?)
You better be careful boys
You just might (You just might)
Set the world on fire (On fire)
You better be careful boys
You'll set the world on fire

     

[Verse 2]
So Jack became a loyal follower of Mr. Aleister Crowley
He took an oath to be a Magister Templi
His pretty house in Pasadena was notorious for the orgies
Every night were Eleusinian Mysteries (Mysteries)
When his company became the famous JP Laboratories
His reputation made it difficult to proceed (Difficult to proceed)
And after one of his alchemical magical ceremonies
They found his body in an pile of blood and debris

[Chorus]
How high (How high)
Does your rocket fly? (Does your rocket fly?)
You better be careful boys
You just might (You just might)
Set the world on fire (On fire)
You better be careful boys
You'll set the world on fire

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
How high (How high)
Does your rocket fly? (Does your rocket fly?)
You better be careful boys
You just might (You just might)
Set the world on fire (On fire)
You better be careful boys
You better be careful
You'll set the world on fire

[Instrumental Break]

[Outro]
Do what thou wilt
(Do what thou wilt
Do what thou wilt
Do what thou wilt)
Love is the law
(Love is the law
Love is the law
Love is the law)
Do what thy will
(Do what thy will
Do what thy will
Do what thy will)
Fly me to the moon
(Fly me to the moon

The Claypool Lennon Delirium on Urban Aspirines HERE:

MP3 @ 320 Size: 121 MB
Flac  Size: 309 MB