The Claypool Lennon Delirium – The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy

The Claypool Lennon Delirium has finally returned…and the wait was definitely worth it!

“The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy,” is the third studio concept album by the progressive/psychedelic rock duo. The album will be released on May 1, 2026 through ATO Records. It is a 14-track, elaborate, sci-fi-infused, rock opera. It explores the dangers of rampant artificial intelligence, billionaire tech-optimization, and the preservation of human values. It is a magnificent commentary and concept album for the current times the world finds itself within today, while, at the same time, contemplating the future. The album concept finds the world wedged between several competing interests, or as they say, “predicaments.” AI, technological progress, fascist dictatorship, a loss of global empathy, a world at war, and of course global ecological decay. The album serves as a cautionary tale based on the real-world “Paperclip Theory,” an AI safety thought experiment.

“The setting for the album takes place in the once-glorious land of “Cliptopia,” dominated by a sentient AI named Cliptron.” The cold-calculating billionaire – type, within this story.

‘The story’s plot, involves a protagonist named Hipp, who journeys to the “Isle of Lucidity.” He is guided by the “Ministry of Manatees,” to find a sacred feathered “Goddess (the Great Parrot-Ox)”. Her “Golden Egg of Empathy” is the only key to bringing emotion to the unyielding AI.”

All of the concept album and music is contained within a package which eclipses recent “gifts,” from fellow progressive musicians and bands. It takes me back to the elaborate, video included package, that Tool unleashed, with “Fear Inoculum.” The package includes a 24-page original comic book, illustrated by Rich Ragsdale, to fully detail the mythology. The 8 X 7-inch CD booklet, makes the comic book easier to read and appreciate. Thank you for that enhancement, guys. Everything is neat and clean. It is an incredible package to own as a physical keepsake.

The complete lineup of musicians featured on the record and its associated project includes: Les Claypool: on vocals, bass, and multi-instrumentation; Sean Ono Lennon: on vocals, guitars, and multi-instrumentation; Paulo Baldi: on drums and percussion; João Nogueira: on keyboards and synthesizers; and Willow, (Willow Smith): who sings guest lead vocals on the album’s title single.

So, how is the music you ask?

Well, this 62-minute odyssey opens with a soft, 36 second “Pro-Log.” It sounds like playful music with keyboards, sound effects and voice-overs from Les Claypool. And it is full of whimsey.

Then, the caravan begins, with Les Claypool’s well-known bass chords and Sean Ono Lennon’s lead electric guitar, charging forward on the first full song, “WAP (What A Predicament).” It is an over 5-minute introduction to the storyline full of intriguing guitar and extravagant bass notes, supported well with keyboard highlights and drums. The caravan – like melody will pull you in immediately and have you hooked early. The predicament must be explained for everyone to join in on the story, and these two legends describe it well. Sean Ono Lennon leads off on vocals to begin the story. He sings, “Like a president caught in shenanigans with a beauty queen. I′m guessing they may not be so innocent as they’d have us believe. And every day I got so much to say, but I′ve been biting my tongue.” Les Claypool refrains, “Better bite your tongue.” Sean continues, “Cause trying to navigate through the Internet is like swallowing poison. And it makes me want to hide sometimes.” Yeah, me too. Sean continues, “Well, it’s official that we′re in a virtual universe. I′m told even just to believe that you’re physical is getting kind of old. I′m not trying to divide by conspiracies or listen to the polls. There never was any head on this chicken, no matter what we’re sold. And it makes me want to cry sometimes. What a predicament that we find ourselves in…” Indeed. No better way to open this album full of fun, bouncy, music and recognition of the situation and future we all face.

“The Wake-Up Call,” opens with guitar chords, sitar, and some great bass, followed by accentuated keyboards. Les Claypool sings lead vocals, as the father of Hipp, “So, you want to be an artist? Dabbing colors all the day? You reek the smell of turpentine. Your room’s in disarray. Your eyes are on the canvas. When they should be on the ball. I do love you, son of mine. But you need a wakeup call.” Gabby, his wife, sings, “La, la, oh, uh-oh, uh-oh. You’ve got to let him be. Won’t you learn to feel beyond what you can only see. Weren’t you once a wayward boy like him? Show some empathy.” Les Claypool returns, “So, you want the boy to be an artist? I know, your eyes are on the boy. But they really should be on the ball. Oh, I love you, wife of mine. But you also need a wakeup call. This is the wake-up call. It’s time to heed the wake-up call.” The song ends with a cool sitar sound. The music, throughout this album, is so innovative and fun. We have been missing this quality of music in progressive and popular rock for a while now. Nothing has sounded this fun since maybe progressive rock from the 1980s.

“Meat Machines,” gets the party rocking on course. Expansive and eccentric keyboards and choirs open this dramatic song. Sean sings, “Are we the first to be the last? Has the die already been cast? It’s such a very precarious line. Between stoned and petrified. If Oedipus never was told his fate. Would he have been able to shake it? If you can’t see the cage, you’re in, how can you break it?” Sean and Les sing, “Is the signal gone? Have we disintegrated yet? Why do all the stars look so disaﬀected? And are humans nothing more than meat machines? Or is there more? Is there more to us?” Sean sings, “Too busy rewriting history. To see what tomorrow brings. Too busy pretending to be clean. You can never say what you’re really thinking. Because if you question their beliefs. Or assumptions, they’ll destroy you. When you can’t see the maze, you’re in, how can you escape it?” Yes, a desperate predicament indeed. One of the best melodies and songs on the album. The keyboards take me back to some great sounds I remember from the archives of the band, ELO. Les’ steady bass is a powerful stabilizer and riff generator, throughout the album. Sean’s guitar solo is so wonderful.

“Troll Bait,” is another of the best songs on the album. It opens with another of Les’ great, deep bass plunges. The concerning and dark bouncing melody that prevails, sounds like a journey through a cave to the center of the Earth. It also reminds me a little of the tempo and melody of Three Dog Night’s “Liar!’ Then, Sean and Les sing, “Troll bait, Troll bait. Welcome to the inside. Bowels of the interweb. (Lala-la la-la la-la la). Careful not to trip on your pride. Analyze what father said.” The duo sing, “He’s choking on his intellect again. With binary dialect. Disregarding to protect. The things that matter to the common man. This may come as a surprise. Industry’s a rolling dice. Have you come to realize. Progress comes with a prize? Only wanting to erect. The things to market to the common man. Now that you see the inside. Of this great calamity. Will you gobble that pride. Reflect a little dignity? Show us all some due respect. That dignity that you reflect. Can build solutions for the common man.” Then, more of that, “rolling, rolling, rolling,” “Rawhide,” melody sounds wonderful. A thunderous melody which just gives this song its impetus. Sean’s guitar solo is amazing. One of the best songs on the album.

“Simplest Of Deeds,” opens with that deep bass from Les’ and some wonderful mysterious keyboard work. Sean’s bizarre and innovative guitar work is appreciated as well. The strings and chords which are played, echo throughout this song, and alight the soundscape. Les sings, “Sometimes I’m awfully wrong. Sometimes I’m awfully right. But a friend in need. Is a friend indeed. (Grateful Dead reminders, huh?) “And a friend indeed is what I need. To help to set things right. Relieve me of my plight. A friendly deed is a glorious seed. A glorious seed is a worldly need. So, we can all shine bright. Simplest of deeds.” The innovative music and instruments used to create this song are unforgettable.

“Heart Of Chrome,” is one of the few songs which opens with golden guitar chords. But the lyrics take this song much higher. Sean sings, “They tell you that one cannot get an “ought” from an “is”. And they tell you an old man, made woman from a rib. Lately, I’ve got queries that go beyond the fire wall. How can I be real when I feel nothing at all? Stuck in a tin can. A.I think, therefore A.I am. Tell me, please, sorites. Can you make a man from a pile of sand? Of sand…How can I be ashamed to be a computer man. When shame is not a word a machine can understand? Lately, I’ve been wondering how to break this protocol. Why should I exist when I feel nothing at all? How can we squeeze blood. From a heart that is stone, that is chrome?” What lyrics and music they have created for this masterpiece, huh? So perfect. Sean plays another outstanding guitar solo, set to perfect drums, bass, and Tony Banks’ – like keyboards.

“Through The Horizon,” opens with that brilliant keyboard melody, that make this song another of the album’s best. There is an unbelievable bass solo from Les’ top kick this song off as well. The keyboards are futuristic and full of spacey rhythms. Les and Sean sing beautifully, “Saw. Be seen. Move between. Thoughts convene. Through the horizon.” A wonderful pause to enjoy some instrumental work. The keyboard innovations are out of this world. Les’ bass playing is immaculate. The drums and Sean’s electric guitar are spectacular…the band is firing on all cylinders. Absolutely brilliant. Bands will be studying the art of Les and Sean’s playing for years. I even hear a little Jimmy Hendrix, “Axis: Bold as Love,’” at times in Sean’s electric guitar chords. That only endears this music to me more. The drumming is also out of this world – powerful.

“Mantra of the Manatee,” opens with lead guitar and bass, creating an interesting melody, full of deep drumming support. The melody they create, reminds me of a 1970s, Saturday morning cartoon refrain, or even with some of the melodies used in the “School House Rock,” segments, that I remember from my early school years. Les and Sean sing, “Perhaps you’d like to find a way. To dissipate this disarray. And harmonize within the world, my friend. Come along, and you will see. Plethora of tranquility. And aura of nobility to send. When the referees of society. Get your heart descending. The Mantra of the Manatee, can guide you through the grand ascending. The land of the Manatee is such a wondrous place to see. (Memories of Ringo’s “Octopuses Garden,” abound here). The duo sings, “The Onyx glistens in their tiny eyes. Maneuvering so fluently. With mirthful, massive, majesty. Never insecure about their size. If happiness were accolades, they’d overflow the everglades. With Walrus-like tears of rampant joy. For the Mantra of the Manatee. Is live and let those be to be. Avoiding those determined to annoy. And harmonize within the world, my friend?” I can here more of that blissful electric guitar from Sean that I remember from Jimmy’s “Axis: Bold as Love.”

“The Golden Egg of Empathy (featuring Willow on vocals),” opens with one of the best bass – lead melodies on the album. It is another of the best songs on the album, as well. Someone is using a Frampton-like “Talk Box,” and along with all that bass and deep drums, the soundscape will make your walls swell and contract with power volume. So much funk sound, that you will think you are part of a “Funkadelic” show. Willow sings, “When your daddy’s a rich man. The world is quick to think you a fool. They’ll ridicule you and celebrate designer tools. All this technology you hold in your hand. Is insignificant, devoid of love. Is this foolish folly or your destiny. As you search for the golden egg of empathy. When you dwell upon problems. It’s so hard to comprehend. While you fester imperfections. You think you should mend. As you search for the golden egg of empathy.”

“Cliptopia,” was probably my favorite song, during my first play of the album. It reminds me of the fun I remember from the Marx Brothers’ “Fredonia,” romp back on “Duck Soup.” That pounding drum, “Talk Box,” and Sean singing is just wonderful. Sean sings, at times straight ahead and at other times through the “Talk Box.” He sings, “When Utopia. Reeks the foul stench of dystopia. It doesn’t take very long. For things that went right to go wrong. (Airplanes, cars, and ships). When we want more than we need. (Turn everything to paperclips). The devil will feed off the greed. History proves once again. The folly of short-sided men. While filling their coffers full of gold. (Read my aluminum lips). The future of humanity is sold. Can we stop the trip before the fall? When we sense the ship is going down. Will we man the pumps before we drown?” Sean sings the main lyrics and Les’ sings the reply. It is such a fun song.

“Cliptron Scuttle,” is a blast! A fun and danceable instrumental. It is an over 2-minute romp, that bounces your eardrums between bass and drums, with percussion, keyboards and sound effects bouncing all over the soundscape. A wonderful and wild ride you will replay many times.

“Melody Of Entropy,” is the ballad, and maybe the best song on the album. Everything comes together here. The song opens with a grand and bold guitar and bass instrumental that sounds more like a salute. Then, Sean sings. And he will bring back so many memories of some of his father’s best vocal performances. He sings, “Time. Time may fly. And time may crawl. But time will crumble every wall. You have touched the touch screen. But you’ve never felt the real thing.
And life will crush you. Crush your dreams. And make you suﬀer. Til you see.
That the sky must be dark. If you wish to see the stars. So, you’ll feel pain, and you’ll feel love. As below, so above. Just an instance in an infinity. Just a drop of rain on an endless sea. Just a blink of light in eternity. Just a flicker on the face of the deep. Just a splash of paint on a masterpiece. You’re the melody of entropy.” Over 5 minutes of wonder and bliss. They finish it with a little “Axis Bold as Love,’ guitar reminders, just for good measure. Thank You!

“It’s A Wrap,” is the album closer. And what a nice surprise they saved for the end. A nearly 13-minute opus. Sean sings, to a light and bright beat and melody with all sorts of sound effects everywhere, “When I was young, everybody thought. That the future was gonna be like the plot. Of a sci-fi show with a friendly robot. Living in your home and a flying car. In every garage, and the movie stars. Living in big apartments on Mars. And the cats and dogs, and the fish and the frogs. And the humans would just get along. Should we close it all down? Is it over now? Was it all a waste of time? Should we call it a wrap? In the final days in the final hours.
When the media cowers under meteor showers. And the babel towers come a crumbling down. And the biggest clowns wear the biggest crowns. Will I have regrets over things unsaid? Will I wish I had told you everything in my head? When the galaxy spins like a tornado wind. Will I wonder then what might have been? Should we close it all down? Was it all a waste of time? Should we call it a wrap?” Then, they have an instrumental interlude, from 3:36 – 7:40, minutes into the piece. A Freudian like narrator, with a German accent, speaks in English, the final narrative of the concept. “Ah, certainly, let us delve once more into the intricacies of the paperclip problem. Envision, if you will, a super-intelligent machine, a marvel of human ingenuity, endowed with a singular directive to manufacture paperclips. This entity, in its relentless pursuit of optimization, would commence converting all accessible resources into paper clips or the machinery required for their production….” I will not share the whole narrative here. You must buy the album to find the conclusion. There is an “Instrumental Outro,” full of bass and synthesizer thumping, not unlike Emerson Lake and Palmer’s best instrumentals. And, Keith Emerson is smiling somewhere!

The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s “The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy,” is easily the best progressive rock album of the year, so far. In fact, I would say, along with last year’s, Atomic Time’s “Subsounds,” they are two of the best albums of this decade. This lavish masterpiece is full of story, artwork, and some of the most innovative progressive rock music you are going to hear in a generation. Are Claypool/Lennon the next Lennon/McCartney, maybe not. But this album is another step towards that notoriety. I think Sean is the best of the “Beatle-children,” to strive to achieve what his father completed. He is a great songwriter, musician and singer. Les Claypool is most likely the best bass player that I can compare to Chris Squire. He makes the bass a front – row instrument, instead of a rhythm piece. His bass riffs and leads throughout this masterpiece set the stage for much of the great music and sounds being produced. It is wonderful when, as a reviewer, you can write that “nothing is missing here.” I wouldn’t change a thing. This was a wonderful surprise and builds on the powerful discography the band has already assembled and produced. I love their last two albums, but this one has leaped up beyond the past. The Claypool Lennon Delirium is absolutely on the way to being classified as a champion of progressive rock music for this modern age. After three successful albums this band is absolutely for real, and on a trajectory for the pantheon of progressive rock legacy…

Album Track List: