Animal Lover

Anyone who has heard the Residents knows they are one of the most inventive and uncompromisingly weird bands on the planet. ANIMAL LOVER upholds that tradition admirably, from its disturbingly surreal cover art to the off-kilter music within. Centered on the theme of animal stories, this 2005 album is a series of songs and performance pieces that can be read as pointed allegories or playful jaunts in the realm of light, surrealistic nonsense. Yet there is an ominous undertone to such tracks as "What Have My Chickens Done Now?," which features a dialogue between an old woman and a young girl, and alludes to some extremely unpleasant fowl business.
Of course, the enigmatic, elusive nature of the Residents' work is what makes it so compelling. Throughout the album, it is often hard to know what's happening, but the experience fascinates, like a disturbing, unforgettable dream. The music of ANIMAL LOVER falls somewhere between Kurt Weill-esque cabaret, contemporary electronica, children's music (note the munchkin chorus of "Two Lips"), and creepy, amorphous psych-rock, yet the Residents are really a genre unto themselves. A lavishly illustrated booklet, complete with illustrations and short stories, and a bonus disc of additional music, will assist the listener's journey to the other side.