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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine