THE RESIDENTS

Possibly - actually, scratch that - definitely, the only group capable of out-Zappa-ing Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention for pure, unadulterated, full-on weirdness, the surrealist American group 'The Residents' have carved a long and successful career out of creating some of the most uncompromising 'music' ever recorded. 'Not Available', an album which was released in 1978 but purportedly recorded several years earlier and then locked away(hence the title), is, for those of you out there who have yet to discover the 'delights' of this zany troupe, a perfect illustration of everything that makes 'The Residents' what they are. To call it music per se is a bit misleading, and though there are occasional melodies and instrumental passages, the way the material is constructed is almost anti-musical, bequeathing it with a truly whacked-out avant-garde ambience that makes Zappa sound like Katy Perry in comparison. Seemingly the product of several damaged imaginations, 'Not Available' is filled with strange voices, weird, semi-improvised interludes, much instrumental madness and deliberately obfuscating noises. Listening to it from beginning to end is bit like recounting a bad LSD-trip whilst half asleep and having watching a particularly crazy Alejandro Jodorowsky film with a blind-fold on; a chastening experience indeed. There are smatterings of melodic moments, such as some fairly-pleasant keyboards on 'Edweena', but each time a pretty musical passage arrives it is quickly usurped by some mad mumbling or discordant madness from one of 'The Residents', determined as they are to prevent anything they create from ever sounding like anything remotely 'normal'. Those of you who are interested in discovering this unique group beware: actual tunes are in short supply. 'Not Available', though by no means their weirdest release, does feature occasional inspired moments of surreal humour but the place to start for the uninitiated should be 'Duck Stab/Buster Glen', a much more melodic album that retains the groups chaotic sensory style but also tones down the insanity to almost acceptable levels. To call 'Not Available' a progressive rock record is a bit like calling King Crimson a pop band, they do feature elements of prog, but they are few and far between an the link is tenuous at best. Still, there is very little in the modern musical world that is as fiercely original as a Residents album, and they have to be heard to be truly (dis)believed. As a piece of music 'Not Available' is clumsy, discordant and slightly disturbing; as a deliberate attempt to subvert the conventions of modern pop music however, it works wonderfully, displaying the group's keen wit and sense of the absurd. For those who can take it there are many dark thrills to be had, but for those in search of good progressive rock the message is simple: avoid like the plague. This is stern stuff and is very definitely not for the squeamish. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

There's supposed to be some vague, bizarre concept to Not Available, but sometimes, a "concept" is really just nonsense called a concept. The vocals are nauseating- probably the point, but honestly it seems like some young guys made slow and ponderous, but generally decent music and then got stoned, at which point they broke out the microphones and various effects and just went nuts. This is South Park prog on barbiturates.

"Edweena" Dark kettle drums and a quasi-orchestral theme begin this strange album. Warped vocal disharmonies set in, making it a painstaking and uncomfortably gradual piece.

"The Making of a Soul" If witchcraft had a sound, it would sound like this. Repetitive drums chant as chanters join them, all as an enchanting tone wails through it all. The spoken-word vocal is high-pitched. Just add whistling S sounds and that's Herbert the Pervert.

"Ship's A'going Down" After a grand opening, the piece disintegrates into more eccentric vocal gobbledygook, full of funny voices and odd characterizations. Honestly, this is horrible.

"Never Known Questions" More decent music marred by dreadful vocals makes up this outlandish track.

"Epilogue" Probably the best and most melodic part of the album, but it is still just dreary drivel.

The Bunny Boy project poses an interesting dilemma for the reviewer, even more so than most of the Residents' work. The problem here is that this particular project involves a multi-episode internet drama series, an album of music based around the series, an album of music used in the series, an album of unused pieces, and a DVD consisting of a newly edited version of the original series, all of which act as parts for a larger (but deliberately holey) whole. What, then, is the work one is actually reviewing?

The entire project revolves around a man, seemingly named Roger, who is using the internet to try and find his lost brother Harvey. Roger was victim of some kind of accident while in Greece (the details of this, though, are vague), and the appeals he makes over the web become increasingly disturbed. We eventually see him donning a full body bunny costume, as if this will somehow help him in his plea. When the series originally ran online, viewers could contact Roger by email to help him find Harvey, and Roger would respond back to you (giving you a chance, perhaps, to actually communicate with a central Resident?). Along the way, Roger starting selling objects from the room he was broadcasting from so that he could get money to go to Arkansas to find Harvey. One could actually go to ebay and buy cheap little knickknacks to "help" Roger. He also went on tour with the Residents to help make his case and earn money. So, ebay and the Residents' tour were also part of the larger narrative (that is, the tour wasn't strictly in support of the album but yet another part of the big story). So what is the work one is actually reviewing?

The block you have just read (and the one you are reading now) will reappear in each review I am offering of each element of the Bunny Boy project. This boilerplate, meant to help connect everything, will be followed by a segment that focuses on what the separate element adds. Overall, what should be recognized is that with the Bunny Boy series, the Residents have pushed the idea of the concept album into a radical new direction in a way that was truly multimedia but that also tripped the lines between art and reality, artist and audience.

"The Bunny Boy" album itself rather than being the origin for the whole project is more of an imaginative attempt to tell Roger's story in a song cycle. Having said that, I'm not sure how much a listener could discern the story entirely without having also watched the video series. Regardless, it's a strong album, probably the Residents' best since "Animal Lover" (2005). It should be noted that much of their work in the Noughties has involved a form of narrative or storytelling music (certainly true of "Tweedles," "The River of Crime" and "The Voice of Midnight"), a form they explored earlier in "God in Three Persons" (1988). But these other projects can involve just too much narrative if you're not in the mood. That is, a narrator tells a compelling (and usually disturbing) first-person narrative over a musical backdrop, and it's that voice that dominates the work. To put it badly, those projects aren't ones that you would likely find yourself putting on as background while you are trying to get some reading or writing or billpaying done. While "The Bunny Boy" has predominately narrative moments as well, such as on pieces like "Pictures From a Little Girl" and "I Killed Him," it is the music and singing (well, you know, Residents-type singing) that comes much more to the fore here. Sometimes the mellow, sentimental crooning that began to creep in on Demons Dance Alone (2002) can be found here, on songs like "Secret Room," but if that wasn't your kind of thing, there are also plenty of rough and edgier moments, excellent keyboard motifs and abstract patterns, moody harmonies and angular guitar.

Of everything that has arisen so far from the Bunny Boy project, this (alongside Postcards From Patmos) stands most strongly on its own and rewards generously with multiple listens.

Outstanding tracks: "Boxes of Armageddon," "My Nigerian Friend," "It Was Me," "Blood on the Bunny," and the truly beautiful "Patmos."

Overall project: 4; this album: 4 (3.6ish, rounded up).

Also see: Postcards from Patmos, Arkansas and Is Anybody Out There? (DVD).

— First review of this album —

The Bunny Boy project poses an interesting dilemma for the reviewer, even more so than most of the Residents' work. The problem here is that this particular project involves a multi-episode internet drama series, an album of music based around the series, an album of music used in the series, an album of unused pieces, and a DVD consisting of a newly edited version of the original series, all of which act as parts for a larger (but deliberately holey) whole. What, then, is the work one is actually reviewing?

The entire project revolves around a man, seemingly named Roger, who is using the internet to try and find his lost brother Harvey. Roger was victim of some kind of accident while in Greece (the details of this, though, are vague), and the appeals he makes over the web become increasingly disturbed. We eventually see him donning a full body bunny costume, as if this will somehow help him in his plea. When the series originally ran online, viewers could contact Roger by email to help him find Harvey, and Roger would respond back to you (giving you a chance, perhaps, to actually communicate with a central Resident?). Along the way, Roger starting selling objects from the room he was broadcasting from so that he could get money to go to Arkansas to find Harvey. One could actually go to ebay and buy cheap little knickknacks to "help" Roger. He also went on tour with the Residents to help make his case and earn money. So, ebay and the Residents' tour were also part of the larger narrative (that is, the tour wasn't strictly in support of the album but yet another part of the big story). So what is the work one is actually reviewing?

The block you have just read (and the one you are reading now) will reappear in each review I am offering of each element of the Bunny Boy project. This boilerplate, meant to help connect everything, will be followed by a segment that focuses on what the separate element adds. Overall, what should be recognized is that with the Bunny Boy series, the Residents have pushed the idea of the concept album into a radical new direction in a way that was truly multimedia but that also tripped the lines between art and reality, artist and audience.

"Is Anybody Out There?" is the DVD part of the project, and in some ways is the hardest part of this batch to review for this website. Given that the video series originally seen on the internet forms the heart or backbone of the whole project, this fully assembled version of the story makes it a vital element, if you really want to see the big bunny picture. Yet, this is a review for a music website, not a film/art project review site. The music used in the video series can be found on "Postcards from Patmos," so check that out if you want to focus on the soundtrack. Alternately one could go online, find the original cycle and watch it there. What the DVD does, and does well, is give the original fragmented videos the feeling of a coherent narrative whole, and it makes for a quite moving experience, strange, darkly humorous and touching. The DVD also adds filmed clips of Roger on tour with the Residents, which the original cycle did not. It's also worth noting that the DVD drops the ending of the original, which changes the feel and meaning of the full narrative. [I don't want to spoil anything and just recommend viewing both to see what you think about the changes.]

In short, a vital part of the project, but more video art than musical project. Make of that what you will.

Overall project: 4; this DVD: 3.

Also see: The Bunny Boy, Postcards from Patmos and Arkansas.

— First review of this album —

The Bunny Boy project poses an interesting dilemma for the reviewer, even more so than most of the Residents' work. The problem here is that this particular project involves a multi-episode internet drama series, an album of music based around the series, an album of music used in the series, an album of unused pieces, and a DVD consisting of a newly edited version of the original series, all of which act as parts for a larger (but deliberately holey) whole. What, then, is the work one is actually reviewing?

The entire project revolves around a man, seemingly named Roger, who is using the internet to try and find his lost brother Harvey. Roger was victim of some kind of accident while in Greece (the details of this, though, are vague), and the appeals he makes over the web become increasingly disturbed. We eventually see him donning a full body bunny costume, as if this will somehow help him in his plea. When the series originally ran online, viewers could contact Roger by email to help him find Harvey, and Roger would respond back to you (giving you a chance, perhaps, to actually communicate with a central Resident?). Along the way, Roger starting selling objects from the room he was broadcasting from so that he could get money to go to Arkansas to find Harvey. One could actually go to ebay and buy cheap little knickknacks to "help" Roger. He also went on tour with the Residents to help make his case and earn money. So, ebay and the Residents' tour were also part of the larger narrative (that is, the tour wasn't strictly in support of the album but yet another part of the big story). So what is the work one is actually reviewing?

The block you have just read (and the one you are reading now) will reappear in each review I am offering of each element of the Bunny Boy project. This boilerplate, meant to help connect everything, will be followed by a segment that focuses on what the separate element adds. Overall, what should be recognized is that with the Bunny Boy series, the Residents have pushed the idea of the concept album into a radical new direction in a way that was truly multimedia but that also tripped the lines between art and reality, artist and audience.

"Postcards from Patmos" consists of the music used in the background of the original internet series. So I guess you could call it a soundtrack. Listened to on its own, though, it makes for compelling ambient instrumental music. The opening track, "The Winged Serpent Repents to the Father" (and what great titles this album has), reminds me of mid-period Legendary Pink Dots. As sonic soundscapes, the stuff on offer is dreamy and unsettling in its freeform shifting. I could see fans of Tangerine Dream or Faust finding a familiar home in these tracks. It's worth noting that over the last few years the Residents have been releasing a good number of instrumental albums. Often these are instrumental versions of their more narrative works, with the storyline removed, and I could easily understand someone preferring the instrumental variations to the original narrative versions. The trio of Best Left Unspoken discs, which compile a loose array of instrumentals, also makes for a compelling aural experience. Postcards is a great addition to this direction of the Residents' monstrously large body of work.

Of all the releases related to the Bunny Boy project, this is the one that gets the most frequent hearings from me.

Overall project: 4; this album: 4.

Also see: The Bunny Boy, Arkansas and Is Anybody Out There? (DVD).

— First review of this album —

The Bunny Boy project poses an interesting dilemma for the reviewer, even more so than most of the Residents' work. The problem here is that this particular project involves a multi-episode internet drama series, an album of music based around the series, an album of music used in the series, an album of unused pieces, and a DVD consisting of a newly edited version of the original series, all of which act as parts for a larger (but deliberately holey) whole. What, then, is the work one is actually reviewing?

The entire project revolves around a man, seemingly named Roger, who is using the internet to try and find his lost brother Harvey. Roger was victim of some kind of accident while in Greece (the details of this, though, are vague), and the appeals he makes over the web become increasingly disturbed. We eventually see him donning a full body bunny costume, as if this will somehow help him in his plea. When the series originally ran online, viewers could contact Roger by email to help him find Harvey, and Roger would respond back to you (giving you a chance, perhaps, to actually communicate with a central Resident?). Along the way, Roger starting selling objects from the room he was broadcasting from so that he could get money to go to Arkansas to find Harvey. One could actually go to ebay and buy cheap little knickknacks to "help" Roger. He also went on tour with the Residents to help make his case and earn money. So, ebay and the Residents' tour were also part of the larger narrative (that is, the tour wasn't strictly in support of the album but yet another part of the big story). So what is the work one is actually reviewing?

The block you have just read (and the one you are reading now) will reappear in each review I am offering of each element of the Bunny Boy project. This boilerplate, meant to help connect everything, will be followed by a segment that focuses on what the separate element adds. Overall, what should be recognized is that with the Bunny Boy series, the Residents have pushed the idea of the concept album into a radical new direction in a way that was truly multimedia but that also tripped the lines between art and reality, artist and audience.

"Arkansas" consists of unused tracks or variations of tracks used on The Bunny Boy album. The title refers to Roger's ambition to get to Patmos, Arkansas to find his missing brother. Is that the real Harvey on the cover? Nah, probably just some Louisianian mockery of those on the other side of the border. "Nobody is Listening," "Sad Saint John," "Memories for Sale," "Two Clown Paintings," "My Brother's Skin" and "Circe" were intended for the original album but then left off. "The Bunny Boy," "The Butcher Shop" and "The Black Behind" are alternative arrangements of tracks from the album. "Save the World" is a variation of a song used on the tour.

The inner sleeve also tells us that "The Bunny Boy Comic," by the Residents and Adam Weller, is forthcoming. So, the saga continues?

The ranking of two stars has nothing to do with the quality of the music, as there are some great moments here ("Save the World" is a strong instrumental and I like "Circe"'s channelling of Lee Hazlewood). Rather the rating has everything to do with being consistent with the system here at ProgArchives: this is not an essential album. Its value can be found entirely in the ears and wallets of the already converted, the fans and collectors. At 33:35, it's also a pretty short deal. Is that an Arkansas thing?

Overall project: 4; this album: 2.

Also see: The Bunny Boy, Postcards from Patmos and Is Anybody Out There? (DVD).

Almost underground cult band The Residents recorded there kind of half-spoken, minimalistic played, with some electronic loops, album. Is this music unusual, experimental? For sure. It this music progressive avant-garde? I am not sure.

Very theatrical short compositions could be a good soundtrack for some unreleased movie. (Originally album contains PC-based animation on it). I can hear some deep tradition of FZ or Captain Beefheart there. But do these short grotesque minimalistic/primitive musical pictures have separate value as musical work? Ten compositions, 35+ minutes of ... music?

"Once upon a time I played an electric guitar and they said I was a rock 'n' roll star. Now nobody calls me on the telephone, so I sit and watch my TV all alone. Maybe if I put a bullet in my brain they'll remember me like Kurt Kobain. And the parasites on MTV would wipe their eyes and act like they knew me. But I wouldn't be a hero I'd be dead. Just a corpse beside a note that read. If you like to pretend you'll never get old, you've got what it takes to rock and roll."

Hmmm, ok, let say RIO ...

I believe that RIO/avant is one of most unpredictable area of tastes, everything there could be beautiful and terrible at the same time. Watching from musical point of view , I can't find attractive sides in this album. Or, let say, watching from prog-avant point of view.

Possibly not my cup of tea, but I hardly will listen this again.

In 2008 I finally rediscovered the Residents for myself! Up to that point I had heard a few of their albums but now that the band has really grown on me, so I decided to check out their latest release!

Since I've heard most of their 70's output and just a couple of the 80's and onward releases the sound was at first pretty shocking. Still I found that this release had a true the Residents-quality to it since I fell in love with it after just a few spins. The tracks maintain a short format of 2,5 minutes which at first might seem to be a return to the familiar grounds of the 1980's Commercial Album, but this material is far more twisted and intense than the relatively short and sweet performances from those days. If anything, this can be considered a return to the material featured on Animal Lover or even God In Three Persons!

Although my first reactions settled a bit after repeated listens, The Bunny Boy is still an amazing album that I would recommend to anyone with a twisted sense of humor! The follow-up tour that I attended here in Stockholm, Sweden was beyond words and really elevated the album's story arc to a whole new level of enjoyment!

***** star songs: Boxes Of Armageddon (2:12) What If It's True? (2:32) Fever Dreams (1:37) I Like Black (2:23) Secret Room (3:19) My Nigerian Friend (1:59) I Killed Him (2:15)

**** star songs: Rabbit Habit (2:14) I'm Not Crazy (2:38) Pictures From A Little Girl (2:29) Butcher Shop (2:34) It Was Me (1:59) Golden Guy (2:22) The Bunny Boy (2:24) Blood On The Bunny (2:13) The Dark Man (2:34) Secret Message (2:38) Patmos (2:30) The Black Behind (4:44)

Total rating: 4,34

This is one of those albums that I knew that I liked the first time listening to it. But just like any great material it is easy to sink into but difficult to master.

The material featured on God In Three Persons took a lot of time to really settle in. I think that I had to listen to it at least twenty or so times in order to combine the narrative with the music. But I don't regret it since it's now one of my top 10 favorite albums! There really is no point in discussing the music except possibly saying that it sounds very simple but in that simplicity hides the true essence of a majestic the Residents experience. Lyrically this is one of the most twisted tales ever told in a format of an album. This story is very graphical and I was truly shocked and disgusted by it the first few times. A had a similar experience when listening to Velvet Underground's The Gift although the Resident make it all even more figurative.

Once you can overcome the shock God In Three Persons presents you with a true masterpiece of an album that should not be missed out on!

***** star songs: Main Title From "God In 3 Persons" (3:52) Hard & Tenderly (4:36) Devotion? (3:36) Their Early Years (4:39) The Touch (3:30) Confused (By What I Felt Inside) (4:37) Time (1:18) Silver, Sharp And Could Not Care (3:03) Kiss Of Flesh (9:39)

**** star songs: The Thing About Them (4:05) Loss Of Loved One (4:50) The Service (5:02) Fine Fat Flies (4:26) Pain And Pleasure (4:35)

Total Rating: 4,63

You just have to love a band that is as versatile and creative as the Resident! I never thought that it would be so demanding listening to 40 minutes of music in a row! My brain gets really tired after about 25 one-minute-songs and I often have to split up this album experience into a couple of separate listening sessions. Still it's a great album with lots of good but somewhat repetitive material.

Commercial Album is basically another the Resident experiment done right! One might argue that they had a few releases to practice on since both Meet The Residents and Duck Stab also features shorter catchy material. Still none of those albums went all-in as the band have done here. Every new track is a new experience of weird sounds and great catchy songwriting, among which Easter Woman, The Nameless Souls and Loneliness make it easily among my all time favorite performances from this band.

If you want to make this release sound even more repetitive then try playing each song three times in-a-row! According to the band it will make your experience feel more complete, but I personally gave up that thought after the first ten tracks.

***** star songs: Easter Woman (1:03) Perfect Love (1:03) Dimples And Toes (1:03) The Nameless Souls (1:04) Loneliness (1:04) Margaret Freeman (1:03)

**** star songs: Picnic Boy (1:01) End Of Home (1:04) Amber (1:02) Japanese Watercolor (1:02) Secrets (1:03) Die In Terror (1:03) Red Rider (1:02) My Second Wife (1:02) Floyd (1:03) Suburban Bathers (1:04) Love Leaks Out (1:04) Act Of Being Polite (1:03) Medicine Man (1:04) Tragic Bells (1:03) Loss Of Innocence (1:04) The Simple Song (1:02) Ups And Downs (1:04) Possessions (1:03) Give It To Someone Else (1:03) Phantom (1:04) Less Not More (1:03) My Work Is So Behind (1:04) Birds In The Trees (1:04) Handful Of Desire (1:04) Moisture (1:04) Love Is... (1:03) Troubled Man (1:04) La La (1:04) Nice Old Man (1:04) The Talk of Creatures (1:04) Fingertips (1:04) In Between Dreams (1:04) The Coming Of Crow (1:04) When We Were Young (1:02)

Total Rating: 4,15