Nut Suite. Mini reviews of albums old and new. Minimum words. No fuss. No spoilers [?]. Occasional smugs.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

THE RESIDENTS / Not Available [1978]

Released in 1978, avant-garde multimedia artists The Residents' Not Available is a surreal 4 part "rock opera" with a history that's surrounded in bizarre mystery.  
It's a swirling, spooky musical trip that only Tom Waits and Frank Zappa would find on the worst of acid trips.  Through all the haunted jazz, piano pounding and delightfully unpleasant synth plodding, there's moments of musical coherency to go with a lyrical narrative that makes sense in the kind of way that doesn't.  Most folks will brush it off as pure nonsensical noise but with each listen you begin to piece things together making the purpose all the more clearer and brilliant.  Whether or not that's a good thing is for you to decide.

4 theories of obscurity out of 5

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