Lennon and McCartney are done, so why not listen to a different Lennon with another prominent bassist? While that’s not the reason that Primus’ Les Claypool and Sean Lennon teamed up for Claypool Lennon Delerium, it might as well have been. The band’s first song, “Cricket and the Genie,” debuted earlier today on Rolling Stone, and it’s pretty impressive. Described as psych-pop, the eight-minute track certainly has a ’70s vibe to it. Apparently, Lennon handles everything but the bass. The genesis of the project occured when Lennon’s band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, toured with Primus and Dinosaur Jr. last summer:
“We had a few backstage, acoustic jamborees that I found interesting but when [Sean] sat in with us and melted our faces with his guitar during ‘Southbound Pachyderm,’ I realized that this fella had some chops,” said the bassist in a statement. “Primus was about to take some time off and I was gearing up a new project so I asked Sean if he’d like to come to Rancho Relaxo and see if we couldn’t get some interesting sounds on tape. Next thing I know he’s staying in my guesthouse over the holidays and we’re drinking vino, hunting mushrooms and throwing musical pasta at the walls.
The band, which will be playing at Bonnaroo on June 11th, also gives Lennon a chance to work with a band he’s influenced by, according to a statement he gave Rolling Stone:
“Like many musicians of my generation I was heavily into Primus,” Lennon told Rolling Stone in a statement. “So when Les asked the GOASTT to come on tour we were all thrilled. Little did I know but this would lead to a bizarre and otherworldly collaboration in musical mycology at Les’ aboraceous compound. 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. The Claypool Lennon Delirium will (gently) melt your face with heart-pounding low-frequency oscillations and interdimensional guitar squeals. We look forward to seeing you very soon.”
There’s no release date set for the album yet.
