The combination of Primus bass player Les Claypool and Sean Lennon was almost guaranteed to generate something off-the-wall and unworldly.
Claypool’s left-field sense of humor was apparent in his work with Primus, and Lennon had already dabbled in music that challenged the boundaries of the conventional with his band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
Claypool said of Lennon, “He plays things that I wasn’t expecting, and that always intrigues me.”
The first Claypool Lennon Delirium album, Monolith of Phobos, was released in 2016.
Underpinned by Claypool’s gargantuan sound and thunderous grooves, Lennon revealed himself on the disc as an endlessly creative guitarist, fearlessly unleashing dexterously liquid electric guitar lines that constantly defy expectations, often while using a BilT Revelator with built-in effects.
Best described as prog-meets-psych (with a dash of funk and pop), their music is so varied that no two songs sound alike.
The band’s second album, South of Reality, released in 2019, refines their vision into a more cohesive overall project. While nothing on the album could be called conventional, the songs are full of infectious hooks and memorable solos that keep one’s interest even as the tracks extend past the six-minute mark.
It is easy to see why Lennon’s primary influence as a guitarist was Hendrix, and perhaps inevitably, given Lennon’s heritage, there is even a hint of the Beatles’ own forays into the realms of psych.
Featuring interviews with Claypool and Lennon, this concert film from the House of Blues in Boston, MA, showcases the band in fine form.
Browse the Claypool Lennon Delirium catalog here.
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