What’s more enigmatic than the mind of Les Claypool? The mind of Les Claypool when he’s hanging out with Sean Ono Lennon. Formally The Claypool Lennon Delirium, the two eccentric masterminds have released three studio albums and one EP together — with the latest LP being everything we’ve waited so long for.
Entitled The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, the psychedelically-laced 14-song LP is an audible battle against the ‘mighty machine’ — you know, the AI gremlin taking over your every waking moment. Based on the famous ‘Paperclip Theory’ thought experiment done by philosopher Nick Bostrom back in 2003, the album warns of the impending perils of AI: that — even when designed to do something completely harmless — AI could destroy all of humanity if its goals are not perfectly aligned with human values.
In essence, we’re in a ‘parrot-ox’ of paperclip proportions.
Make as many paperclips as possible. Seems simple, right? Well, that one directive could spiral out of control when AI runs out of conventional materials and turns to buildings, cars, the braces on people’s teeth to make the clips. In a world driven increasingly by algorithms, The Claypool Lennon Delirium calls for guardrails. Or else.
“What a predicament” the citizens of the once-thriving city of Cliptopia find themselves, aka “WAP”. With bent notes, metallic percussion, and mechanical sound effects, the track takes listeners to the Clipnex factory floor, where all your clip dreams come true. With political overtones and very Beatles-esque vibes, the song gives way to “The Wake Up Call”, where we meet our hero — Hippard O. Campus, Jr. Heir-apparent of the paperclip empire, Hipp just wants to paint his days away, smelling of fresh dreams and “turpentine”. Sadly, dad’s not on board.
Despair and dejection ensues in track four “Meat Machines”, where Hipp ponders if there’s more to humans than meets the human eye. If only we weren’t “too busy rewriting history to see what tomorrow brings”…
If only we weren’t so obsessed with the artificial to see the art within us all.
This is where the album takes a turn. Welcome to the “inside bowels of the interweb”, a goofy-doomy virtual respite — complete with glockenspiel. It’s here where Hipp meets Colonel O’Coren, leader of the “Troll Bait” club, where members choke on their “intellect” marketing insubstantial things “to the common man” (“la-la la-la la-la”).
Despite ominous Rush-like lyrical delivery, turns out Colonel O’Coren is one of the good guys, willing to aide Hipp in a sea-faring adventure to stop the clip madness taking over the town. The two hitch a ride all the way to the Isle of the Manatees, where a royal sea-cow court hands over the “Golden Egg of Empathy” — the key to winning the fight against AI for good. Plus, the song features WILLOW, so win-win there.
If that isn’t a plot worth its weight in egg gold, we don’t know what is.
Dive headfirst into this head-trip of an album via the streaming link below, but — considering the subject matter — we highly recommend going analog. Not only does a physical pressing save you from the AI bots trading and selling your information, the album comes with a stunning 24-page original comic book written by Claypool and Lennon featuring art by Rich Ragsdale. And that’s just one element of the overall deluxe package. The double-LP comes in ornate gold-foil covers, front and back, pressed with weighty forest green vinyl. It’s truly a collector’s gem. For more information or to get a copy for yourself while supplies last, see the links below.
The Claypool Lennon Delirium – “The Golden Egg of Empathy” ft. WILLOW
Track listing:
- Pro-Log
- WAP (What A Predicament)
- The Wake Up Call
- Meat Machines
- Troll Bait
- Simplest of Deeds
- Heart of Chrome
- Through The Horizon
- Mantra of the Manatee
- The Golden Egg of Empathy, feat. WILLOW
- Cliptopia
- Cliptron Scuttle
- Melody of Entropy
- It’s a Wrap
Stream the album:
Cover photography by Jay Blakesburg
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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