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The Claypool Lennon Delirium Tackle A.I. and Free Will on Urgent New Single “Meat Machines”

Eric Alper
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The Claypool Lennon Delirium Tackle A.I. and Free Will on Urgent New Single “Meat Machines”

Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon have never been content to write simple songs about simple things. “Meat Machines,” the latest single from their upcoming album ‘The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy’ (ATO Records, May 1), makes that abundantly clear. Driven by wiry psych-prog tension and a creeping ominous groove, the track locks onto one of the most pressing questions of the moment: what remains essentially human when automation keeps tightening its grip.

The song arrives with a new visualizer that pulls from the album’s companion comic book, illustrated by longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale. It follows the warped, A.I.-themed opening salvo “WAP (What a Predicament)” and extends the record’s central argument deeper into unsettling territory. Lennon puts it plainly: “Some people think humans are just biological machines. They think free will is a hallucination and we’re destined to be replaced by robots. Some of us think we still have a choice.”

“Meat Machines” hits hard precisely because the Delirium mean it. The track carries real weight, coiling tension around a groove that never fully releases, and landing squarely among the strongest work the duo has produced. Recorded at Claypool’s Rancho Relaxo studio in Sonoma County and Lennon’s upstate New York studio The Farm, ‘The Great Parrot-Ox’ is the most fully realized Delirium project yet, fourteen tracks built around paperclip logic, spiritual collapse, and a fight to hold onto feeling.

The physical edition deepens the mythology considerably. A 2-LP tip-on gatefold with a 24-page comic book maps each song to its own illustrated chapter, the remnant of what began as a concept for a feature-length animated film. Pre-orders are open now on vinyl and CD.

Supporting the release, the Claypool Gold 2026 Tour brings together Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for a full-evening coast-to-coast run beginning May 20th. Claypool and Lennon both appear in the Delirium and the Frog Brigade, giving audiences multiple corners of Claypool’s catalog in a single night. Tickets are available now at theclaypoollennondelirium.com.

‘The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy’ Tracklist:

  1. Pro-Log
  2. WAP (What a Predicament)
  3. The Wake Up Call
  4. Meat Machines
  5. Troll Bait
  6. Simplest of Deeds
  7. Heart of Chrome
  8. Through the Horizon
  9. Mantra of the Manatee
  10. The Golden Egg of Empathy feat. WILLOW
  11. Cliptopia
  12. Cliptron Scuttle
  13. Melody of Entropy
  14. It’s a Wrap

Claypool Gold 2026 Tour Dates:

Wednesday, May 20 – Reno Events Center – Reno, NV

Friday, May 22 – Hayden Homes Amphitheater – Bend, OR

Saturday, May 23 – Marymoor Live – Redmond, WA

Monday, May 25 – KettleHouse Amphitheater – Bonner, MT

Tuesday, May 26 – The Lot at the Complex – Salt Lake City, UT

Thursday, May 28 – Starlight Amphitheatre – Kansas City, MO

Saturday, May 30 – The Factory – St. Louis, MO

Sunday, May 31 – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre – Rochester Hills, MI

Tuesday, June 2 – Jacobs Pavilion – Cleveland, OH

Wednesday, June 3 – Salt Shed – Chicago, IL

Friday, June 5 – The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater – Pelham, TN

Saturday, June 6 – KEMBA Live! Outdoor – Columbus, OH

Tuesday, June 9 – Thompson’s Point – Portland, ME

Wednesday, June 10 – Leader Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA

Friday, June 12 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY

Saturday, June 13 – Stone Pony Summerstage – Asbury Park, NJ (SOLD OUT)

Sunday, June 14 – All Good Now Festival – Columbia, MD

Tuesday, June 16 – The AMP Ballantyne – Charlotte, NC

Wednesday, June 17 – Firefly Distillery – North Charleston, SC

Friday, June 19 – St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL

Saturday, June 20 – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park – Atlanta, GA

Monday, June 22 – Walmart AMP – Rogers, AR

Tuesday, June 23 – ACL Live at Moody Theatre – Austin, TX

Thursday, June 25 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX

Saturday, June 27 – Dillon Amphitheater – Dillon, CO (SOLD OUT)

Sunday, June 28 – Dillon Amphitheater – Dillon, CO

Tuesday, June 30 – Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ

Wednesday, July 1 – Gallagher Square – San Diego, CA

Friday, July 3 – Long Beach Amphitheater – Long Beach, CA

Saturday, July 4 – Meritage Resort & Spa – Napa, CA

Country Icon Don Williams Unveils “Leaving Louisiana” From ‘Epilogue The Cellar Tapes’

Eric Alper
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Country Icon Don Williams Unveils “Leaving Louisiana” From ‘Epilogue The Cellar Tapes’

A powerful new chapter opens for Don Williams with the unveiling of “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.” The newly released track leads ‘Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes,’ a 12-song collection of previously unheard recordings arriving May 29. Drawn from sessions between 1979 and 1984, the album captures Williams during one of the most defining stretches of his career.

The recordings were discovered in the cellar of the Williams family home and restored with extraordinary care. Longtime collaborator Garth Fundis worked alongside Tim Williams to complete the project, preserving the original vocal performances while rebuilding missing instrumentation. The result is rooted in authenticity, anchored by the unmistakable warmth of Williams’ voice.

“Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” stands tall among these rediscovered tracks. Written by Rodney Crowell and Donivan Cowart, the song carries a cinematic pace and narrative drive. Williams delivers it with steady phrasing and quiet control, bringing a fresh dimension to a composition already known in country circles.

The album is supported by a cast of trusted collaborators who helped define Williams’ sound. Bassist Joe Allen, drummer Kenny Malone, and arranger Charles Cochran return alongside a lineup of seasoned players, restoring the subtle textures that shaped his recordings. Each detail reinforces the integrity of the original sessions.

This is a rare and meaningful addition to a legendary catalog. The music carries the same calm authority and emotional depth that made Don Williams a cornerstone of country music, now presented with renewed life for a new generation.

Tracklist:

  1. Try Me Again
  2. You Came True
  3. I’m The One (Alternate Version)
  4. Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight
  5. I Wish I Was Crazy Again
  6. I’m In Love For My Last Time
  7. Spinning Around
  8. A Matter Of Time
  9. I’m The One (Original Version)
  10. How Can I Miss What I Never Had
  11. Goldy’s Gone From Golden
  12. Growing On Me

Queer Disco Punks WIDGET Drop “Dogs Don’t Lie” From ‘Classy Hits Vol.2’

Eric Alper
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Queer Disco Punks WIDGET Drop “Dogs Don’t Lie” From ‘Classy Hits Vol.2’

WIDGET waste no time getting bodies moving with “Dogs Don’t Lie,” a sharp, playful blast of disco-punk energy. The new single lands as the latest preview of their debut album ‘Classy Hits Vol.2,’ out April 24. It captures the band’s chaotic charm and dancefloor instincts in full colour, pushing their sound further into bold, rhythm-driven territory.

The track leans into absurdity and connection, built around a simple truth that hits hard in a hyper-online world. The band call it a “sonnet for the chronically online,” packed with humor, repetition, and a hook that sticks immediately. It is loud, strange, and deeply fun, the kind of song that turns a packed room into a chorus within seconds.

The video adds another layer, cutting found footage from a 70s skateboarding safety film into something surreal and oddly nostalgic. Edited by bassist Elena Agulla Gil, it mirrors the band’s collage-like style, where references collide and meaning builds through movement and rhythm. It feels loose, inventive, and completely aligned with WIDGET’s visual identity.

‘Classy Hits Vol.2’ arrives with serious momentum behind it. Recorded in just four days and shaped entirely within the band’s own creative circle, the album channels their live intensity into a tight, propulsive listen. Scratchy guitars, tape-soaked synths, and relentless percussion drive songs that feel immediate and alive.

This is music built for sweat, release, and collective noise. “Dogs Don’t Lie” hits with urgency and bounce, another standout moment from a group that understands exactly how to turn a room into a celebration.

Tracklist:

  1. ‘DOGS DONT LIE’
  2. ‘SOFTSPOT STUNNA’
  3. ‘MANLY KUBRICK (HE SAYS SHIT LIKE)’
  4. ‘GRABITY GRAVITY’
  5. ‘IT’S THE END OF THE LOOP’
  6. ‘CHAMOIS LEATHER’
  7. ‘WHAT IF PHONES BUT TOO MUCH’

Hip-Hop Hitmaker YoungBoy Never Broke Again Brings ‘American YoungBoy’ Tour Film Nationwide

Eric Alper
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Hip-Hop Hitmaker YoungBoy Never Broke Again Brings ‘American YoungBoy’ Tour Film Nationwide

A major chapter in YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s story arrives on the big screen. Tickets are on sale now for the ‘American YoungBoy’ tour film, a feature-length documentary capturing the scale and intensity of his ‘Make America Slime Again’ tour. The film premieres in theaters nationwide on April 25, marking one of the largest concert film rollouts in recent memory across more than 1,000 screens.

The documentary follows a historic run. The 2025 MASA tour stands as the highest-grossing debut headlining tour by a rapper, a milestone that reflects YoungBoy’s unmatched connection with a global audience. The New York Times named it the #1 music moment of the year, reinforcing the cultural weight behind this release.

Directed by Nico Ballesteros, the film blends arena-scale performance with rare, behind-the-scenes access. The result is a cinematic portrait that captures both the spectacle and the reality of life on the road. It presents YoungBoy not only as a chart force, but as a creator shaping his own narrative through film.

YoungBoy’s numbers continue to redefine modern success. With billions of streams, over 16 billion YouTube views, and more than 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries, his reach is undeniable. This film expands that impact, placing his story in theaters and amplifying his presence beyond music.

The film lands with scale and focus, a powerful extension of an already dominant catalog. ‘American YoungBoy’ stands as a defining visual statement from one of hip-hop’s most influential voices.

10 Albums Everyone Thinks Are Debuts (But Aren’t)

Eric Alper
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10 Albums Everyone Thinks Are Debuts (But Aren’t)

There’s something fascinating about musical amnesia. Not the kind where records disappear, but the kind where history quietly edits itself. An artist releases a breakthrough album so definitive, so culturally dominant, that everything before it becomes a footnote, a rumor, or a trivia question you lose at a bar.

These are the albums that feel like debuts. They sound like introductions. They arrive fully formed. But technically? They’re not first.

Here are 10 albums that rewrote their own origin stories.

Janet Jackson – ‘Control’
Before this, Janet was still orbiting the Jackson family legacy. With ‘Control,’ she stepped into her own narrative. Sharper production, harder edges, full autonomy. It wasn’t her first album, but it was the first time the world met Janet.

Michael Jackson – ‘Off the Wall’
This wasn’t a debut. It was album number five. But Quincy Jones, disco’s twilight glow, and a young artist finding his voice turned this into a reset button. Everything before it feels like a prelude now.

Alanis Morissette – ‘Jagged Little Pill’
Two Canadian pop records came before it, but ‘Jagged Little Pill’ arrived like a confession shouted into a hurricane. Raw, global, undeniable. For most listeners, this is where her story begins.

Fleetwood Mac – ‘Fleetwood Mac’ (1975)
Not their first album, but the first one most people know. The Buckingham-Nicks era reshaped the band’s identity so completely that the earlier blues records feel like a different group entirely.

Nirvana – ‘Nevermind’
‘Bleach’ exists. It matters. But ‘Nevermind’ changed the temperature of rock overnight. When an album shifts culture that dramatically, it tends to get mistaken for the beginning.

Eminem – ‘The Slim Shady LP’
There was ‘Infinite,’ but this is where the persona, the controversy, and the voice clicked into place. It didn’t introduce Eminem to hip-hop. It introduced him to the world.

Green Day – ‘Dookie’
Technically the third album. Functionally the launchpad. Pop-punk exploded into the mainstream here, and for many listeners, this is where Green Day begins, full stop.

Björk – ‘Debut’
Even the title plays tricks on you. By the time ‘Debut’ arrived, Björk had already been recording for years. But this was the first time she stepped forward as a singular, global artist.

Kendrick Lamar – ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’
A major label breakthrough that felt like a first chapter, even though ‘Section.80’ laid the groundwork. This is where the narrative scale expanded and the audience caught up.

No Doubt – ‘Tragic Kingdom’
Two albums in, and then everything clicked. Ska, pop, heartbreak, hooks. It became the band’s defining statement, leaving the earlier records as deep cuts for the curious.

Akai Professional Unleashes the MPC XL, the Most Powerful Standalone MPC Ever Built

Eric Alper
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Akai Professional Unleashes the MPC XL, the Most Powerful Standalone MPC Ever Built

Akai Professional just raised the ceiling on standalone music production. The MPC XL is here, and it is the most powerful, most connected, most fully realized MPC the company has ever built. This is not an incremental update. This is a ground-up statement about what a standalone production system can be in 2026.

At the core of the MPC XL is a new Gen 2 8-core processor backed by 16GB of RAM, delivering four times the processing power of previous MPCs. That means up to 32 plugin instruments, 16 audio tracks, and 256 voices running simultaneously, no computer required. A 256GB internal NVMe SSD handles storage, with an additional SATA expansion bay for producers who need more room.

The pads are a genuine leap forward. Akai’s new MPCe pads use 3D-sensing technology with four distinct quadrants per pad, opening up X/Y control, sound morphing, looping, layering, and modulation in ways that simply were not possible before. Sixteen touch-sensitive Q-Link knobs, each with its own OLED display, sit alongside a 10.1″ HD multi-gesture touchscreen with tilt. The XL Channel Command gives instant access to levels, sends, outputs, and recording parameters from a dedicated encoder and OLED display.

Connectivity is deep. The MPC XL carries dual XLR/TRS combo inputs with mic preamps and phantom power, two dedicated instrument inputs, eight individual line outputs, and eight stereo CV/Gate outputs delivering 16 total CV channels. USB-C handles 24 channels of audio I/O and 32 channels of MIDI. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth round out the package for wireless file transfer and collaboration. The unit ships with MPC3 OS and the full MPC Pro Pack, which includes Clip Launching, Super Timestretch, Pro Stems, Pro Reverb, Visual EQ, and CV Playground, plus a premium plugin collection featuring Fabric XL, OPx4, Odyssey, Mellotron, and more. Native Instruments MPC Editions and a forthcoming Spitfire Audio orchestral library expand the sonic palette further. Every purchase also includes two months of Splice Creator plan access.

The MPC XL lands as a complete studio centerpiece for beatmakers, producers, DAWless performers, and songwriters who want total creative control without a computer in the room. It is the flagship of all standalones, and it earns that title.

McDonald’s Just Turned the KPop Demon Hunters Rivalry Into a Fast Food Battle

Eric Alper
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0
McDonald’s Just Turned the KPop Demon Hunters Rivalry Into a Fast Food Battle

McDonald’s Just Turned the KPop Demon Hunters Rivalry Into a Fast Food Battle

The Oscar-winning film that took over streaming, playlists, and awards season is now taking over the drive-thru. McDonald’s and Netflix announced a full-scale partnership built around KPop Demon Hunters, bringing the HUNTR/X versus Saja Boys rivalry off the screen and straight to the Golden Arches starting March 31.

The collab is not a simple branded cup or a logo on a box. This is a genuine two-sided campaign that forces fans to pick a lane. The Saja Boys Breakfast Meal features a Spicy Saja McMuffin with a peppery Spicy Saja Sauce, hash browns, and a small soft drink. The HUNTR/X Meal goes all-day with 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, a medium drink, and Ramyeon McShaker Fries, a ramen-inspired creation with soy, garlic, sesame, and spice seasoning drawn directly from South Korean food culture.

Both meals come with a collectible card pack featuring a photocard of either HUNTR/X or the Saja Boys, plus a Derpy access card. Fans who scan the QR code and enter the unique code in the McDonald’s app by April 26 unlock exclusive content and a special reveal of which group wins the Battle for the Fans. The competitive mechanic is smart, it turns every meal purchase into a vote.

There is also a wildcard in the mix. The Derpy McFlurry, named after HUNTR/X’s mascot Derpy Tiger, arrives as a standalone menu item blending vanilla soft serve with berry popping pearls and wild berry sauce. It sits outside the rivalry, a dessert for fans who refuse to choose sides.

KPop Demon Hunters won two Academy Awards this year, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden.” A sequel is already in development. McDonald’s previous pop culture collab, The Grinch Meal, set a single-day sales record for the company. The bar is set. March 31 is going to be busy.

HBO’s Harry Potter Series Drops First Official Look and the Wizarding World Is Back

Eric Alper
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HBO’s Harry Potter Series Drops First Official Look and the Wizarding World Is Back

The wait is almost over. HBO released the first official photo from its highly anticipated Harry Potter series on March 24, and it delivers exactly what fans have been holding out for: Hogwarts, in full, undeniable form.

The image shows newcomer Dominic McLaughlin, 11, as Harry Potter, walking toward a group of students at the Quidditch pitch in his Gryffindor robes. The back reads “Potter” with the number 7. It is a simple image that carries enormous weight, the first concrete confirmation that this production is real, it is serious, and it is moving.

McLaughlin inherits the role from Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry across eight films. Radcliffe has been openly supportive of the new cast, writing McLaughlin a personal letter wishing him well. McLaughlin called receiving it “insane.” Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout round out the central trio as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

The supporting cast is stacked. John Lithgow steps in as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu takes on Severus Snape, Janet McTeer plays Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost is Rubeus Hagrid. Production designer Mara LePere-Schloop, whose credits include Interview With the Vampire and Pachinko, is responsible for the look of Hogwarts in the new series.

Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod are leading the production, currently underway at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K. The plan is to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books into its own season. The series premieres on HBO in 2027.

What Emerging Artists Get Wrong About Releasing Music

Eric Alper
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0
What Emerging Artists Get Wrong About Releasing Music

Here we go:

What Emerging Artists Get Wrong About Releasing Music

You put the song out and nothing happened. You’re shocked. You shouldn’t be.

Here’s the truth nobody in the industry wants to say out loud: the release is not the moment. The release is the beginning of the work. And most artists treat it like the finish line.

They spend six months on the record. They agonize over the mix. They argue about the artwork. They pick the release date like it’s a moon landing. And then they put it out on a Friday because that’s what everyone does, and they watch the streams trickle in, and they wonder why the world isn’t paying attention.

The world isn’t paying attention because you didn’t give it a reason to.

Spotify doesn’t care about your album. Apple Music doesn’t care about your album. The playlists are controlled by algorithms and relationships and money you don’t have. You know what cuts through all of that? A real audience. People who actually give a damn. People who were waiting for it. And you can’t build that audience by posting a countdown clock on Instagram three days before the drop.

The artists who break through now are the ones who’ve been building in public for years. Not manufacturing a persona. Actually building. Talking to people. Showing up. Making their process visible. Letting fans into the room before the room is finished.

You want to know what the biggest mistake is? Releasing music before anyone knows who you are and then being surprised when no one cares. Awareness comes before releases. Not the other way around. This isn’t complicated. It’s just hard, and hard is the part everyone wants to skip.

The second biggest mistake is releasing too much too fast with no connective tissue. A single here, an EP there, a surprise drop, a collab nobody asked for. There’s no narrative. There’s no through line. Fans don’t know what to follow. You’re creating noise in a world already drowning in it.

The third mistake is chasing the format instead of serving the song. Not every song needs to be three minutes and ten seconds because that’s what gets added to playlists. Not every project needs to be an EP because that’s what the blog said. The format should serve the music. The music should not be bent to serve the format.

And the fourth mistake, the one that stings the most, is releasing music without a live strategy. The record is the advertisement for the show. It has always been this way. Streaming didn’t change that. If anything, streaming made it more true. The money is on the road. The connection is on the road. The fans who will follow you for twenty years are the ones who saw you in a room of forty people and felt something real. You can’t replicate that with content.

Here’s what actually works. Pick a lane and commit to it. Build your audience before you need them. Release music with intention and context. Play live constantly. Talk to people like a human being, not a brand. Be patient in a way that the algorithm punishes but real life rewards.

The music business has never been fair. It has never been a meritocracy. Great songs get ignored every single day. That’s the reality. But the artists who endure aren’t the ones who got lucky on release day. They’re the ones who kept showing up long after the algorithm stopped caring.

The release is not the moment. You are the moment. Act accordingly.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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