Three years after debuting in three separate Billboard Top 10 charts with their first ever collaboration Monolith Of Phobos (Top Vinyl Albums, Top Tastemakers Albums, Top Alternative), 55 year old Primus bassist Les Claypool and perennial Beatle kid Sean Lennon return with the psychedelic soundtrack to the summer of 2019.

Recorded at Claypool’s Rancho Relaxo home studio in Occidental, California, the nine track 47 minute long South Of Reality sophomore album seamlessly follows in the footsteps of The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s four song 2017 Record Store Day Lime And Limpid Green EP where the duo covered 60’s era Pink Floyd (Astronomy Domine) The Who (Boris The Spider) King Crimson (The Court Of The Crimson King) and obscure 1960’s Japanese underground counterculture act Flower Travellin’ Band (Satori, Enlightenment, Pt. 1).

With the exception of three drum tracks courtesy of former Cake percussionist and TCLD touring drummer Paulo Baldi, all of South Of Reality was written, produced, engineered and recorded entirely by Claypool (bass, keyboards, engineer, mixing, producer) and Lennon (guitar, keyboards, drums, producer), counter to the contemporary music industry norm where it typically takes a team of a half dozen people or so to compose a mere section of a modern day pop song let alone record and produce it.

Of particular note on TCLD’s latest are Lennon’s exquisite mature guitar stylings. The 43 year old Lennon has really come into his own as a lead guitarist of distinction, boldly exploring areas of psychedelic slide even Uncle George would be proud of. Impressive too are Lennon’s eerily familiar sounding falsetto back up vocals and harmonies which more often than not come off sounding like a blend of his famous father, Beatle George and son Dhani Harrison.

More vintage ’67 Summer Of Love psychedelia and less prog than it’s predecessor, South Of Reality is the perfect freak flag fly fest for the final summer of the decade, just in time for hippie nation’s 50th anniversary celebrations of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair held August 15-17, 1969 in Bethel New York.

Rating: 9/10

Star Rating: 4/5

2019 Song Of The Day Club 19/52