Wormwood

Additional personnel: Carla Fabrizio (vocals, various instruments); Diana Alden, Laurie Amat, Wayne Doba, Linda Goldstein, Molly Harvey, The Mystery Dude (vocals); Richard Marriott, Pavers (various instruments).
Includes liner notes by Uncle Wilie.
Personnel: Diana Alden, Wayne Doba, Laurie Amat, Linda Goldstein, The Mystery Dude, Molly Harvey, Carla Fabrizio (vocals).
Illustrator: Leigh Barbier.
Three decades into the band's career, the Residents fearlessly tackled the minutia of religious texts with WORMWOOD, as obscure or unusual passages from the Bible are given room to expand into full-blown songs. The result is a wondrous set of interpretations of religious events that is by turns childishly friendly and darkly fiendish.
The interlocking nature of this work and its range of singers (both male and female) give WORMWOOD a decidedly operatic feel. Modernist electronic instrumentation mingles with the Residents' usual singsong melodies and traditional choral patterns, sometimes within the space of a single song (such as "Burn Baby Burn"). This is a worthy addition to these restless and iconoclastic experimenters' generous catalog.