Release date:
12 tracks; 39:27

Primus frontman Les Claypool has put out a number of solo albums over the years under various monickers - The Flying Frog Brigade, Holy Mackerel, Sausage, etc.

For his latest release, "Of Whales and Woe," Claypool simply went with his own name - probably to avoid confusion.

Claypool thumps his way through 12 tracks and it's about what you'd expect from the bass virtuoso - a little odd, a little groovy and also a little impressive.

After all, it's difficult to deny Claypool's abilities on the musical front.

The CD kicks off with the strange, "Back Off Turkey," featuring his two kids, Cage and Lena.

From there, it goes into the rhythmic and funky "One Better."

"Iowan Girl" features Les' banjo bass while "Lust Stings" chugs along at a fine pace and would fit nicely on the "Highball with the Devil" album.

The title track is quite repetitive with a whispered vocal laid over top - it fits in with other songs in the Claypool catalog, but not quite as memorable.

You could almost say the same for "Vernon the Company Man."

The groove picks back up for "Phantom Patriot," which almost sounds like a cartoon theme song. "Nothin' Ventured" also has a nice sound to it and keeps the tempo upbeat.

The lone instrumental on the album (that's a full song), "Off-White Guilt," isn't even a bass showcase. It's more like some organized noise that Frank Zappa would be proud of.

The album, as a whole, isn't bad. While it doesn't contain the thunder of Tim Alexander or Larry Lalonde, it fits nicely with the rest of the non-Primus catalog.

Posted by jeffhahnedisabled at July 22, 2006 9:39 PM