ANIMAL LOVER

THE RESIDENTS is one of my favorite unknow musical band ever. The band is one of the most strange, unknow and important revolution in musical domain. They are the first to create video clip, to initialized several musical styles and promote the "obscurity theory" (Never show their faces). Is why everyone in the band wear eyeball. After creating 78 albums/demos/DVDs, the band continue to explore the experimental way with ANIMAL LOVER.

ANIMAL LOVER is a double album, an "official" cd and a "bonus" cd (it don't have any title but we gonna called it "...by my imaginary Jack").

The "official" cd is based on the reaction of the humans after the Darwin revelation and, few years later, Freud revelation (human was only a confused animal) : fear of not being a superior of the animals. "In The Residents' "Animal Lover", the creatures who don't really mind if they are animals take an existential look at the upright animal whose normality is sliding toward the wrong end of the spectrum. The human beasts live in a world of primal darkness, their heads forever stuck in the ground like frightened ostriches living in a constant murky dream state. "1

The ambiance of this cd is very unique. An ultra instument make is apparition on this "another one" avant-garde album : Animal sound! The rythm "are based entirely on animal noise mating patterns generated primarily by cicadas and frogs."1

The second cd is a lot more "techno" than the other. Six intrumental and progressive tracks. This "bonus" cd completed perfectly the ANIMAL LOVER psychedelic album.

Once again, THE RESIDENTS does a very succefully work with this album. But don't be surprise if you don't like... we LIKE or DISLIKE the band... there is not between. If you searching for experimental, progressive, avant-garde and strange music, you gonna like this album!

Note: 4/5

1: information took on Mute label website

Animal Lover finds the Residents fine tuning another certain sound. They have created an album with one of their more unique sounds this time around, while not making the whole album lacking. They have also managed to create one of their most moving songs to date. My Window is so morose, yet it is so beautiful and moving in its own strange way. The album as a whole has such an interesting flow to it as well. It's strange to say, but sometimes the Residents don't even remind me of themselves. Their music is always changing into something different and in the end, there is nothing quite like it at all.

You may think that you don't like the Residents now, but wait until you hear this. OK that's a bit sarcastic.

I found it browsing at a local independent record store. I had two video and two CD titles in my collection and always found them interesting but not to the point of trying much except on the rare occasion, the last one being Have A Bad Day (1996). Animal Lover rekindled my interest in the band.

There's still the demented and trademark sound of this outfit, but it seems they have aged well like a fine (rancid/vinegar?) wine. The first four tracks are standard Resident's weirdness, but there's those prog elements cropping up. When I first heard the instrumental, Mr. Bee's Bumble, I realized these guys had truly progressed in their music. Inner Space is a creepy sad song about a father dying. Molly Harvey has really added a soft edge to the band with her vocals. The instrumental Dreaming Of An Anthill (Teaming) is sublimely spooky. Let's face it, the whole album is creepy. It may be best you sample it before you buy.

It's a really cool concept album and they did a good job of making the CD package. You get lyrics mixed with written stories from various animal's viewpoints. The CD is a hardback kind of package. If you fall for the music on the main CD, the supplemental disc is also a must have, variations and explorations with the stuff on the main disc.

Not a band for everybody, but I would say this album is the best place to start if you want to explore the prog weirdness that is the Residents.. PLEASE SOMEBODY! BURN MY BONES!

The never normal Residents have a 'Cyberman' singing on the opener 'On the Way to Oklahoma', where (the story goes) - a guy goes mad, thinking he's a tiger and kills a dog. A good return to form if you ask me.

Tuneful, scary and one of the darkest albums they've released. A lot of folk seem to dislike the story lines of latter day Residents albums, but in my opinion this one hangs together much better than most. The opener really is a belter and even got played on BBC radio 3 in 2005 at which I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, and still am to this day.

There's a lot going on in ;Animal Lover' which doesn't have a dull moment, but does seem to have a cloud of gloom hanging over its entirety.

There's a feeling of despair on 'Animal Lover' that I'm not used to on previous Residents albums, which kind of threw me sideways, particularly when nameless Mr Resident himself sings. There are one or two tunes that are instrumental, probably to make you work out the story for yourself. Most of the songs are sung by Molly Harvey who sounds like a ghost flitting from one scene to another. Scary Biscuits...

Basically, the whole album is about how humans are seen through the eyes of animals on each track and it's not too attractive. Damn... it's pretty sad actually.