DUCK STAB / BUSTER & GLEN

This was my first taste of THE RESIDENTS and it was an excellent place to start as it is one of their more accessible records. This album is made up of two Eps both with seven songs each, with "Duck Stab" having been released prior to this while "Buster & Glen" was first released here. I can't believe these guys are from Louisiana. Anyway for someone like myself who likes to describe the music this is a nightmare. The off-kiltered rhythms, manipulated instruments, treated vocals and humerous lyrics make this very unique sounding. And it's very catchy to the point of a few of these songs getting stuck in my head. PRIMUS are very big fans of these guys and covered a few of their songs.

"Constantinople" is a word that will bring this song to mind if I ever here it again. Man this is so catchy and repetitive and it makes me smile. Very strange instrumental sounds and these guys have a talent for making catchy but strange rhythms. "Sinister Exaggerator" opens with a beat and guitar but neither are even close to being conventional. It almost sounds like violin briefly. Catchy stuff with vocals arriving before 1 1/2 minutes. There's that weird violin-like sound again after the vocals stop. "Booker Tease" is brighter with again a head-bobbing rhythm. The dissonance before a minute makes me squint. "Blue Rosebuds" is a dark toe-tapper with reserved and somewhat normal vocals. There's also some high-pitched helium- like vocals that are quite amusing. "Laughing Song" has what sounds like demented accordion then this laughter kicks in and the rhythm mimics the laughter. Funny stuff. "Bach Is Dead" is simple but so enjoyable as "Bach is dead" is repeated over and over. Who knew singing about someone being dead would be so funny. The final track of the first Ep is "Elvis And His Boss" which is so strange including the vocals. The instrumental work is way out there people.

"Lizard Lady" has fast paced vocals and an urgent sound. Sounds like a Minion a minute in(haha). The intensity rises late. "Semolina" is one that while catchy is also my least favourite mainly because of the way he sings the chorus. It still gets stuck in my head though damn it! "Birthday Boy" is funny and a highlight of the "Buster & Glen" Ep for me. Again we get this strange sounding rhythm and humerous lyrics. "Weight Lifting Lulu" has a different vibe to it along with this dark undercurrent. Normal vocals and it's catchy. Dissonant string-like sounds arrive after 2 minutes. "Krafty Cheese" is so difficult to describe with those deep sounds and also the experimental ones. Deep voices and those helium-like ones are part of this. "Hello Skinny" doesn't amuse me as far as the lyrics go but man instrumentally this is once again very innovative. "Electrocutioner" has a beat and what sounds like horns as the vocals join in. This is catchy but man there's plenty of dissonance in it. A change after 1 1/2 minutes as we get vocals and what sounds like mellotron(I'm sure it's not). A beat and more follows.

I absolutely love this stuff and while I feel the second Ep isn't as strong as the first this is easily 4 stars.