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
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The Claypool Lennon Delirium: Monolith Of Phobos 2016 + Lime And Limped Green "EP" 2017

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,

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.                                                                          

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

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