Have you ever hear of THE RESIDENTS?
I always wanted to hear Gomer Pyle sing through a megaphone! Ahhhhh…….yes!
This avante garde group formed in the early seventies. Their album cover of MEET THE RESIDENTS is a parody of The Beatles famous record. They sound like nothing else I have ever heard of before.
I guess you could compare them to the likes of Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart. Perhaps some strange jazz compositions as well. Vaudeville, carnivals, weird voices, rock n roll noises and disorienting sound effects all make up this art form.
Just like The Gorillaz, this group of musicians keeps their identities mysterious. They wear disguises to maintain their anonymity.
So on the first album (of an amazing 60 altogether), known as MEET THE RESIDENTS, there is random piano strikings. It all sounds sloppy and even amateur but on purpose. Somehow their riffs are catchy while annoying too. At first I was confused but somehow became hooked on their stuff.
It’s really weird and playful with silly dialogue
It’s collage art but with various noises instead of pictures pasted together.
It’s genius
it’s mood altering
it’s the first record in a series of my future postings
I’ll give you a clue and requirements of what I consider to be weird, obscure, talented, classic and bizarre.
My criteria for excellence is quite simple. Two concepts. One is…..Many artists invent a new language for music and emotion OR the second…..artists use that language in an emotionally powerful way. The greatest albums do both!
The Music Bard 