i should probably listen to it, i guess.
You are actually required by law to listen to this album if you are a Rz fan.
I should mention a few more things I forgot to write in my post. I was really surprised that this was a new Residents album. I was kind of just glossing this one over, partly because the fan concept meant this wasn't the "Real Residents?", and partly because Intruders the "next studio album" was coming out pretty soon. I mean, I preordered Intruders a couple of days before I Am A Resident came out, and this time I decided to buy the CD
and the vinyl because it's a "real album". The day I Am A Resident arrived I didn't even really think to myself, "I'm going to listen to a new Residents album today", because deep down I didn't consider it a new album at the time.
After I listened to it I realized how special this album really was. It really hit me with these complicated emotions I've felt in Residents projects before, but never mixed together like this. I've listened to
Eyesore a few times, and overall I like a lot of the covers in that compilation. But for every cover there is a bit of respect I feel for what they do with it. I think every song in
Eyesore is different enough from the source to come with a "huh... so that's how The Residents have impacted you?" kind of appreciation.
Our Finest Flowers mixes concepts in an interesting way. Connections between Residents works that didn't exist before are explored in a way that's like crossing your senses together. Hearing familiar melodies and lyrics flow into other familiar melodies and lyrics was a true joy... and shock as well.
(Note: I should mention that when I first listened to Our Finest Flowers I was probably only familiar with about 20% of the source material)The latest Residents live shows have radically transformed the existing sounds of The Residents' previous (and in some cases, present
and future as well) works. I mean, I guess the old Residents live shows have too, but these more modern shows transform the source material much more than just adapting the song to what a live band can practically produce. The exciting thing about hearing one of these new performances for the first time is that at the start of every song it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what song they're playing. The melody seems so familiar... and when you finally realize what song they're playing it's so exciting. OMG! They're playing
this song, I've only listened to it hundreds of times, and it only took me a minute to figure it out!
So, all of those emotions are combined in this album. Every new cover introduced tends to confuse me for a few seconds while I figure out what they're actually playing, then I feel joy and excitement when I realize what it is. Then I think "wow, this is an interesting interpretation of the original song. GOOD COVER!". Then it flows into another song and I think "WOW this is a connection I've never made before!". And it keeps on going until the end.
Of course, there are some special moments in this album that fit outside of this emotional loop. The endings of most of the tracks of the album are quite special, the ending of the "Lingering Illusions" in particular messed me up a great deal. Also the ending to the album as a whole is just... silly, beautiful, triumphant, and... well... special! The last bit of the actual "megamix" as I described it earlier is also just... wow. As I was hearing the final moments of all these weird covers it blended into one last cover. It sounded familiar to me... what was this a cover of? And where had I heard this cover before? Then it hit me and I suddenly was overwhelmed by memories. Once that final song bit fades out, all that's left is something else and there is no more to say.