Have you ever had a fever? A really bad one, when you’re sweating in the night, the room is spinning and you’re not sure if you’re asleep or awake, and you can see the shadows in the corner of the room writhing in the darkness.
The music of The Residents is a little like that. Each track is a unique experience, like a David Lynch movie in miniature - by turns disturbing, horrifying or bleakly funny.
At heart it’s an elaborate piece of performance art that’s been running for over 50 years. An anonymous collective, hidden behind giant eyeball masks, making records full of strange and disturbing music, as well as elaborate installations and ground breaking digital projects.
This is art that is designed to provoke a response and is the exact opposite of easy listening albums that drift by without ever engaging you. There is considerable musical skill behind these pieces, and this album was the first one to feature the legendary guitarist Snakefinger.
I could guess before looking at the other reviews that this would polarise opinions and the scores seem to be either ones or fives. In the words of Janice Nicholls, I’ll give it foive!
Eyeball-tastic!
https://album.link/gb/i/1487511243
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