To My Surprise

This may not be the last type of music fans of Slipknot would have expected from Shawn Crahan, aka Clown, the band’s massive, metal-bashing, and frequently bloodied percussionist. But given his penchant for both the physical and the experimental, To My Surprise is a surprise nonetheless. Recording with a couple of longtime friends from Des Moines, Crahan pays homage to ’60s rock, not with a sneer but with sincere appreciation. Rather than bang on his usual beer kegs, he plays a vintage Ringo-style Ludwig kit in arrangements that rock hard (“Get It to Go”) or resurrect sunny vibes from years past. Aside from “Say Goodbye,” which sinks its existential despair into a shadowy, imprecise arrangement, To My Surprise maintains a buoyant and unsubtle approach; to make absolutely sure you don’t miss the Monkees feel on “Sunday,” with its happy, strumming guitars and skippy rhythms, they paraphrase “Pleasant Valley Sunday” in the opening line — but they also quote from one of the darker verses in the Jim Morrison songbook and extend the goofy vocal harmony riff in the outro until it starts to sound a little demented. The spirit of Rick Rubin oversees the production, which emphasizes performance yet highlights every critical detail in a dry, discerning balance. In the end, To My Surprise unmasks Crahan as an endearing writer and player whose muscular style transplants well into this setting — which probably shouldn’t have been a surprise after all. – Robert L. Doerschuk