Doctor Dark, the latest sacrificial sonic offering from veteran act The Residents, reinterprets the over the top reactions of the moral panics of the 1980s into an immersive listening experience.
The pioneering group's prolific 50 year career is underscored by their anonymity –- simultaneously an aesthetic and an artistic choice. What little is known about the group is filtered through a cryptic and often absurdist persona, like the large eyeball masks and sharp suits they perform in.
Doctor Dark fits neatly into this cryptic continuum as it tells the grizzly tale of a tragic suicide pact blamed on heavy metal music by the media. The theatricality of the album meshes well with the industrial, metal, and surrealist genres the group explores throughout it.
"Prelude / Metal Madness" kicks the album off with the starkest contrast on the record. "Prelude" crescendos from mournful strings into orchestral dissonance, paving the way for "Metal Madness." The distorted guitars and metallic soundscapes backing a repeated refrain of "I hate you / You hate me / I hate you too," set the stage for the perception of heavy metal in the midst of moral panic.
"Contemplation" utilizes a fictional news broadcast to introduce the survivor of the suicide pact. This broadcast is accompanied by trippy, discordant, and off-putting drums and synthesizers, amplifying the disconnect between the event and the supposed cause. The survivor, depicted on the album cover, is the focus of the remaining tracks on the album.
"A Choice?" returns to the heavy metal genre as the survivor awakens from surgery and experiences new freedom of spirit, in spite of his pain: "I feel free and light / And happy." Midway through the song, choirs of voices sing "Can't you see / You're not free," but are ignored by the survivor. The tempo of the track is reminiscent of a funeral dirge, the electric guitars accompanied by mournful piano.
"Take Me to The River" closes out the album and concludes the narrative. The survivor sings the final lines, "Take me to the river and throw me in / Take me to the river / This is the end," and the listener hears a splash, the music returning with force. The track features the same birdsong and water ambience that can be heard in the prelude, tying the beginning of the album to the end of the narrative.
The Residents have crafted yet another airtight album full of depth and intention, a testament to their unwavering commitment to their artistry.
Listen on Spotify
No comments:
Post a Comment