Friday, 30 January 2009

The Residents - The Commercial Album


The likelihood of you guys enjoying this is probably unlikely, but this is probably the Residents' best and most cohesive album. The Residents are one of the greatest musical groups of all time, having released albums since 1974 (having started recording long before that even) the group has nonetheless maintained total anonymity to this day. Their Dadaist approach to music has created some of the most mentally unhinged sounding music ever created, and it is worth listening to the band, even if it is just once.
This album takes the ideas of their previous records to their logical conclusion, with their pastiche/worship of pop music coming to the fore in a way unseen even on their brilliant Third Reich 'n' Roll album (consisting of Nazi speeches and imagery interwoven with barely recognisable covers of pop mainstays bu artists such as the Beatles and Elvis). The basic concept of The Commercial Album is that, due to the verse/chorus structure of pop music, there is only around one minute of original, unrepeated music in each song. Thusly, the Residents created 40 avant-garde pop tracks, without repeating any music, each around one minute in length. This CD reissue version has a few bonus tracks to labour the point, covers of various pop songs that perfectly match the Residents' pastiche of verse/chorus format.
This is essential listening for any fan of music, because it creates a sort of meta-musical commentary while remaining a brilliant pop album. Check it out if you like the Beatles, any noise, avant-garde or left-field pop.

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