Psychedelic-prog duo The Claypool Lennon Delirium have released their latest single and video, “Melody of Entropy,” offering a final glimpse into their ambitious new album, The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy. The 14-song concept record arrives digitally this Friday via ATO Records, marking the most elaborate world-building effort to date from collaborators Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon.
“Melody of Entropy” serves as a strangely tender turning point in the album’s narrative. While earlier singles like “Meat Machines” and “The Golden Egg of Empathy (feat. WILLOW)” focused on the cold efficiency of artificial intelligence, this new track imagines the moment machines finally awaken into consciousness. Lennon describes the song as a message of consolation to these newly sentient entities as they grapple with mortality and emotion for the first time.
The album is a psychedelic cautionary tale set in the land of Cliptopia. The story follows young artist Hippard O. Campus Jr. as he rebels against his father’s corporation, CLIPNEX, and its sentient AI, Cliptron. Inspired by the "Paperclip Theory"—a thought experiment regarding AI safety—the narrative tracks Hipp’s quest to find the Great Parrot-Ox, a feathered Goddess whose Golden Egg of Empathy may be the only thing capable of saving humanity from being converted into office supplies.
The project’s rich mythology is further explored in an accompanying 24-page comic book included with the physical vinyl and CD editions, which arrive next week. Illustrated by longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale, the comic maps each song to a specific chapter, fulfilling the duo's vision for a fully realized graphic narrative.
Following the release, the band will hit the road for the Claypool Gold tour beginning May 20th. The coast-to-coast summer run is a genre-bending triple bill featuring Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. The tour offers a unique opportunity for fans to see Lennon and Claypool share the stage across multiple projects in a single evening.
The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy is available for pre-save now, with the digital release landing this Friday, May 1st.
