Of all the things that
Les Claypool is a master of, subtly is not one of them. Armed with an arsenal of bass guitars and a sensibility that merged
Zappa-esque irreverent virtuosity with cornpone whimsy,
Claypool has been on a decades-long mission to make truly "alternative" music, mashing up styles and influences that most people would never conceive of. Because of this legacy, an album like
Four Foot Shack, the first from his project
Les Claypool's Duo De Twang, is both a refreshingly weird departure from what everyone else is doing and a completely normal offering from the bass wizard. Making up the other half of the duo is guitarist and kindred spirit Bryan Kehoe (M.I.R.V., the Kehoe Nation, and
Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade), who shares
Claypool's love of bluegrass and general sonic weirdness. Together, the pair weave together a collection of songs that manages to feel stripped down in spite of the masterful playing at work. The album is made up of a mix of originals, reimagined
Primus tunes, and covers that run the gamut from
Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans" to the
Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive," which have been injected with a healthy dose of twang to transform them into something altogether different. Listening to the duo stomp their way through their rendition of
Alice in Chains' grunge classic, "Man in the Box," it feels as if we're getting a glimpse inside
Claypool's mind, opening up the possibility that this is just how these songs sound to him (a not unrealistic notion given how complete the transformations are). The musical realm that exists inside of
Claypool's head is a bizarre one, but the songs on
Four Foot Shack have a weird knack for worming their way into your head, turning your waking world into a surreal, country-fried cartoon version of itself that's oddly endearing. It's this quality that makes this outing from
Les Claypool's Duo De Twang one worth exploring, even if it means having lines like "malted buttermilk pancakes all day long" on an endless loop in your head. ~ Gregory Heaney