Review
The Residents
Animal Lover

Mute (2005) Kevin Fitzpatrick

The Residents – Animal Lover cover artwork
The Residents – Animal Lover — Mute, 2005

The Residents are an anomaly. This is an age where most music is the same regardless of how deep the scratch is. But whether their music is at its most simplistic and frivolous, or challenging and complex, there's an underlying malevolence beneath the songs that somehow make it seem all the more beautiful.

Animal Lover is the group's umpteenth recording and is probably the group's most accessible album to date. Another concept album, though this time using a concept of animals or something. I mean, they wear giant eyeballs for christsakes. Who the hell knows what they're trying to say? They make Fellini look like Nora Ephron. I know there are lots of Residents fans who love to analyze every single note and lyric, but you know what? Life's just too damn short; I have laundry to do.

Animal Lover is a much gentler listen than the previous Demons Dance Alone album - smoother transitions from track to track give it an almost soundtrack-type feel. Albeit a soundtrack to a film that'll probably never show in a town you live in and probably features something to do with Satan.

The Residents – Animal Lover cover artwork
The Residents – Animal Lover — Mute, 2005

Recently-posted album reviews

Painkiller

The Great God Pan
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller, the trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris shows no signs of slowing down. The Great God Pan is their third full-length, since their reunion in 2024, and in many ways it is an unexpected offering. In keeping with their interests in the metaphysical realm, Painkiller find inspiration from the famed Arthur Machen horror novella. Here, the … Read more

Painkiller

The Equinox
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller sees three absolute masters of extreme music join forces. John Zorn of Naked City and a billion other projects, Mick Harris who transcended from Napalm Death drummer to illbient guru with Scorn, and producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell. Their first two records, Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets are strange meditations traversing between free-jazz, grindcore and dub. Still hungry … Read more

Dauber

Falling Down
Recess (2025)

The lazy approach would be to call Dauber "ex-Screaming Females," but that barely scratches the surface. If I had to pick one band to namedrop a comparison to, it would be labelmates Night Court. They play a familiar style but with a lot of quirks that set it apart from the genre standard-bearers. It's driving and energetic -- more importantly, … Read more