Author Topic: DDA Album Cover Interpretations  (Read 527 times)

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moleshow

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DDA Album Cover Interpretations
« on: October 16, 2016, 10:54:37 pm »
i'm curious as to how everyone interpreted DDA's cover art?

the way i saw it was this: the grinning(?) demon clutches what is essentially a symbol of a loved and cherished past, both glowing and dripping blood- possibly reflecting both a divine and human quality. and because of the presence of the demon, comes the fists in the background that he stands in front of, unaffected. the fists are all different, but all represent aggression without direction. they head straight to the ground; they are all at different degrees of closeness to the ground, but they are all driven to the same place, the same conclusion. the presence of the demon renders their aggression unifying and futile.
"All our lives we love illusion, neatly caught between confusion and the need to know we are alive."

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FrenesiGates

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Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2016, 09:07:29 am »
All I know is that I had a visceral reaction from this image, and it was among the first Residents things I ever saw. The only place I, maybe, disagree with your interpretation is concerning the falling fists. I feel like they're symbolically coming down directly on the demon, and not necessarily in a futile/directionless way. Like, I think the fists are meant to be understood as weakening the demon

Attached is a rare image from the DDA days. Maybe it will help interpret the actual cover


moleshow

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Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2016, 10:09:24 am »
i see what you mean, but i feel like the live show has more of that "attacking the demon in unity" theme to it, oddly enough. the album evokes a sort of.. isolated feeling. the song Demons Dance Alone almost takes on two different meanings when the live version and the album version are compared. the album version of it seems to imply a certain surrender to the demon, while the live version almost pushes it to "attempting to beat the demon at its own game", if that makes any sense.

this image calls to mind the Demonic! Live in Oslo cover, and i wonder if there is some correlation between the two? it would seem that in this alternate image, it is the symbol (almost seeming to be in the shadows since i can't make out any other parts of the tuxedo other than the bow tie and the buttons) offers vulnerability and honesty within what could possibly be seen as a rain of rage. i also find it interesting how when compared to the actual cover, the heart glows similarly to how the eyeball glows, minus the dripping. the Oslo cover seems to have the demon with this symbol of honesty and vulnerability protruding out from its head with a look of... disgust or fear on its face. i find it interesting because of how the other images included with Demonic! have the demon looking quite smug as he sticks his tongue out and torments Mr and Ms. Wonderful. there's a certain contrast there.

perhaps the message is that the demon only fears honesty and vulnerability? the whole album AND the show seem to imply that it feeds off of submission, fear, confusion and hatred. it would appear, as with Neediness in the show, that the demon is not something that one can make peace with through direct and almost loving confrontation. the demon shies away, not so fond of Mr. Wonderful's begging and pleading. there is a genuine need there and the demon is frightened, confused and quite honestly disgusted by it... so perhaps the demon is incapable to being dealt with through friendlier means, and is not really affected by such deeply human needs. seeing as Neediness is right before Demons Dance Alone on the live setlist, there could be some degree of learning that occurs there- that the demon cannot be handled with kindness, that it cannot be communicated with unless you speak in its language, and that most of all... it cannot be attacked alone.

the changing of the order of songs from the album to the live show really say that there is a different story in there, to me. the album has a story of complete and total submission, really without a fight (or if there is one, the aggression is not going where it needs to go. it is directed at the grounds on which the demon stands, and as i see it, possibly came from. the emotions that allow the demon to exist and form are not what truly need to be attacked.. or something.)  but the show seems to have a story that there IS a fight there, and it is an odd sort of battle where they must take what the demon used against them and do that thing better- and beat it at its own game.

hmm.. weird stuff
"All our lives we love illusion, neatly caught between confusion and the need to know we are alive."

eggoddleo

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Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2016, 02:09:39 pm »
more of a lyrical interpretation but has anyone else noticed how the title track sums up the album in hindsight?

"you can know a needle's eye
or a hungry baby's cry
[...]
silver linings came and went
when I was an innocent"

wealth, child rearing, thundering skies, innocence; all themes and topics of the album.

something to think about anyway.

moleshow

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Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2016, 04:01:56 pm »
more of a lyrical interpretation but has anyone else noticed how the title track sums up the album in hindsight?

"you can know a needle's eye
or a hungry baby's cry
[...]
silver linings came and went
when I was an innocent"

wealth, child rearing, thundering skies, innocence; all themes and topics of the album.

something to think about anyway.

huh, weird! i'd never thought of it like that, but it really makes sense.  neato.
"All our lives we love illusion, neatly caught between confusion and the need to know we are alive."