Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking Order

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Music reviews of The Grand Pecking Order

Music Review: Its alive...ALIVE!
Rating: 4 Stars

To its credit, Oysterhead has a very convincing band vibe. It would seem very dangerous to let Les Claypool play in your band. No matter what happens, what you do is going to sound like Primus. Although I'd be a liar if I said that Oysterhead did not have that component to its sound, I'm not really sure if they sound THAT MUCH like Primus. They sound more like a band that has Les Claypool on bass & some vocals, Trey Anastasio on guitar & some vocals, and Stewart Copland on drums (by the way, that's exactly what it is, if you are just tuning in). This speaks highly of the maturity and professionalism of all three of these guys. It is obvious that they cooperated and compromised enough to find the middle ground between them, and have created a new, perhaps even original, sound.

A big part of Oysterhead's sound that distinguishes it from Primus' is Stewart Copeland's drumming. I was sort of left cold by his work in Animal Logic (snore), but now I am reminded of how excited I was when I heard the rumor that he was replacing Bill Bruford in King Crimson (totally untrue, by the way, but fun to think about). In contrast to Herb's thunderous grooves or Brain's whiteboy funk, Copeland' s feel is like skipping a rock across the top of a still lake - it has drive and momentum, but it's light, bouncy, and undeniably jazzy. Juxtaposing his feel against Les' makes for interesting listening. Even more interesting is his sonic palatte. His work with Oysterhead finds him experimenting with a lot of sounds outside of your standard rock trap set. Listen to "Radon Balloon" and identify everything he's hitting without using the words "I think it's a...".

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention Trey's contribution. In all honesty, I did not realize how much Phish's sound revolves around him and his playing. In this format, his distinctiveness as a player shines through. Although we have some areas that sound Phish-y, it never really sounds like Phish. He plays great here, and is actually a bit more aggressive than I am accustomed to hearing from him.

Compositionally, there are a few really great songs on here. I particularly like "Little Faces", "Oz is Ever Floating", and "Mr. Oysterhead". Some songs I don't like so much, but it is my understanding that the whole album was written and recorded in under two weeks, and Trey likened the writing process to "throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks". In a situation like this, there are bound to be some imperfections, and there are. However, the playing generally more than makes up for any repetitive song forms or haphazard lyrics.

Speaking of the lyrics, one should be warned that there is a slight goofiness factor here. We're talking about guys that, if combined properly, would write a song about cutting of your fingers in the door of your car because you shook hands with a llama on any other day. What did you expect? However, there is an underlying sarcasm that implies a politically serious side to "The Grand Pecking Order".

The lowdown: it's no "Synchronicity", it's no "Sailing the Seas of Cheese", nor is it even "A Picture of Nectar", but if you like anything that any of these guys have ever recorded, you will most likely find their musical interactions fascinating and exciting. I shudder to think of the damage that these guys do live. I would particularly like to see them develop this project a little further in their spare time (if there is such a thing).

Description of The Grand Pecking Order

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