FREAK SHOW

As with most Residents albums, this one has its good moments and its bad ones. I love concept albums, so I was immediately attracted to this release, and freaks seem a worthy subject for the Residents' brand of quirky music. However, the album largely fails to deliver anything of substance. Most of the synths are one dimensional and sound really dated, and the ongoing parade of "guest vocalists" with strange accents become very annoying very quickly. That is not to say there aren't any good tracks. I quite like Harry the Head in particular, but in the end the songs are all similar enough that the album seems repetitive and pointless long before the end. I find it difficult to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, even though it's less than 50 minutes long. There are much better Residents records out there, so save your money unless you're a collector.