Release Date: 27 August 1996
Song Count: 15
Duration: 48 minutes, 5 seconds
Rating: 5.8/10
Description:
Song Count: 15
Duration: 48 minutes, 5 seconds
Rating: 5.8/10
Description:
Here we have got an older record from a musician with a wide array of different projects and stage names tied to him, Leslie Claypool. Prior to making music for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games and creating the now widely known theme song to the cartoon South Park, Claypool released this album, Highball with the Devil, as a solo project around the same time he was active in the band Primus. Holding firm to his classic alternative rock roots, this endeavour of his channels the energetic yet rather light-hearted energy that he and his music is known for in the grander artistic scene.
Groovy guitar lines that truly sit on their grooves make up the composition of the fifteen tracks in offer as the vocal delivery switches between singing in a lesser harmonic and more ear-scratchingly dissonant way as well as spoken word in small doses. The tunes show themselves to be quite self-indulgent in nature in spite of the average time duration of the individual songs, as is a staple in older acts of more underground rock. With questionable and scatterbrained lyricism and a strong self-made feel to the instruments being played, there is a particular sense of chaos and confidence permeating the full experience that is especially tough to replicate with contemporary works.
Though there exist plenty of small quirks and twists to pick up on throughout the listen, Highball With the Devil has surprisingly little going for it that holds substantial ground, bar for a few tracks such as "Holy Mackerel" - of which its name has a misspelling on Spotify, fun fact - and the titular song. A large bulk of what the album contains is plenty of 90's funk rock that sounds pleasant yet ultimately dated and far from anything one has yet to hear before. Still, some enjoyable moments are to fish for in this package from a long-standing musician that can add dashes of legitimate musical skill into novelty-driven works.