COOCHIE BRAKE

The Residents have to be the strangest yet the most unpredictable band ever. They have an incredibly huge discography and you never know from one album to the next just what to expect from them. On this album, you get what sounds like a fully fleshed out sound, where as with many other releases from them, the sound is lacking because the instrumentation is stripped down to programmed keyboards and percussion. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. But this time, you get a nice rich sound and a full band sound. The vocals this time are mostly spoken word and whispered vocals and most of it is in Spanish. Why Spanish? Well, Louisiana is supposedly the home state of The Residents and according to legend, there was a time when there was a lot of Spanish gold and riches buried in the area. The music tends to give a spooky, mysterious air, like the music is haunted by the ghosts that are searching for their gold. Since it is based on Louisiana legend, there is probably a lot of voodoo mysticism culled into the music.

The album is quite rich with instrumentation and is one of the best orchestrated Residents album produced in a long time. The music is complex, yet very enjoyable with plenty of guitar sounds and hooks added in to spice up the music. Many of The Residents albums are sparse studies in minimalism, but not this one. The vocals are not overbearing which is important because of the spoken word format and that the drama is held more in the instruments and the vocals respond accordingly.

This music is not very accessible and will probably be enjoyed more by those who love the avan- prog genre. I absolutely enjoy this album, the variation in the instruments which is something that lacks in a lot of The Residents back catalogue, and the originality and beauty of the music. The release is broken down into 2 CDs, the main concept of the lost Spanish treasure is the theme centered in the 1st CD. The 2nd CD is inspired by the legend of two outlaws named West and Kembrell who hid out in the Louisiana swamps. There are only two tracks on the second CD, but the 1st track is over 7 minutes and the 2nd is just under 20 minutes. The sound is still excellent but the feeling is not as mysterious as it is more soundtrack-like.

Definitely an album that is geared toward those with a love for dramatic avant-prog tastes. There really isn't anything here very accessible to any other tastes. I thoroughly enjoy this double album and highly recommend it to those who love exploratory and adventurous music. Excellent production, sound, instrumentation with a grand full sound throughout and very dynamic. I consider it essential for lovers of this style of music. 5 stars.