Les Claypool - Of Fungi and Foe

Les Claypool, Champion of the Strange

It’s hard to categorize Les Claypool’s newest album Of Fungi and Foe. This work even stands out from his last studio album, and all of his other work with bands such as Primus and C2B3. The boundaries of traditional instrumental use are as usual, surpassed by Claypool and his distorted, synthesized, slapped, popped, tapped and all around whacked out bass lines. The only category it could possibly fit in to, is strange.
The albums starts out with not one, but two songs about mushrooms. “Mushroom Men” and “Amanitas” are both songs Claypool wrote for the upcoming video game release, Mushroom Men. This doesn’t make them any less authentic Claypool style. Heavy, tribal drums and driving synthesized bass lines only serve to compliment Claypool’s nasally voice, speaking about none other than mushrooms.
“Red State Girl” gets political in a way only Les can. A quick listen to a less than flattering physical description followed by “She wants to grow up to be Sarah Palin, / she’s a self proclaimed, bona fide, red state girl” clearly show’s the man’s political side.
“Booneville Stomp” brings out the dobro bass and it’s metallic sound for a raucous jam that sounds like it belongs in a horror movie. “What Would Sir George Martin Do” shows Claypool’s penchant for bowing his nifty upright five string fretless bass. He also brings his son Cage into the mix with a slide whistle solo.
“You Can’t Tell Errol Anything” tells the story of a know-it-all, drug dealing, musician handyman that doesn’t take well to criticism: “If you got a project then he’s quick to your aid / just don’t bitch about the service or critique the grade / ‘cuz you can’t tell Errol anything / ‘cuz Errol knows anything”
“Bite Out Of Life” features special guest Eugene Hutz of the band Gogol Bordello on guitar and vocals. Eugene’s gypsy-punk influence is clearly seen in the fast paced jam.
“Kazoo” takes it down a notch and adds in a soothing cello and vibraphone piece over Claypool’s slow bluesy bass line. “Primed by 29” is a song about how drugs make everything better until they destroy your life. In this song Les is on an instrument so strange only he could pull it off- the bass banjo.
“Pretty Little Song” goes off the deep end of weird with the synth bass lines, hard hitting drums, and satanic background vocals. The title track “Of Fungi and Foe” follows off the deep end with strange instrumentals leading up to a mantra like chanting of “of fungi and foe, fungi and foe” until the instrumental takes over again and ends the song.
“Ol’ Rosco” is another classic Les Claypool story song. It is about a drunk driver who always gets away with it until one time “he went head on with a purple PT Cruiser, came out without a scratch, now that’s the dumb luck of a boozer.” As odd as the song may sound, it has quite a ring of truth to it.
There is a lot that can be said about Les Claypool’s strange musical stylings, but the only true way to experience the man’s genius is to go and listen. You’ll either love, or hate it.