Gabby La La

This is wildly weird, eccentric stuff that is perfect for Les Claypool’s Prawn Song imprint. After scoring a local opening gig in San Francisco for Claypool and company a few years ago, Gabby La La was invited to record with Claypool, resulting in this collection of discordant waltzes, neo-ragas, pop ditties and electric jigs. La La’s classically trained sitar work dominates the listen, surrounded by a bevy of other whacky instruments like a Theremin, toy piano, various percussive shakers and blocks and ukulele. In addition, to add to the fun she sings like a whimsical red riding hood and dispels stories about boogie woogie men, elves, the relationship between the chicken and the egg and golden fleas. Yet, amidst all this fairy-tale chaos, a clear sense of purpose prevails, due to Claypool’s virtuosic bass work and creative direction. Downright humorous, often childish but never immature, Be Careful What You Wish For is a coy treat, like opening up the cognac right after sending the kids to bed. While this is not for everyone, I wish it was, because if we all listened to Gabby La La, there would be no need to take life so seriously.