The Residents, best known for their unusual musical style and also known for donning huge eyeball masks. The Residents have never revealed their identity, because they believe that music should not be about who they are, their race or gender, and that it should be just about music. And thats exactly what this is.
Buster And Glen is the sister release to the revolutionary release 'Duck Stab'. Again, I wouldn't recommend this to any fan of music, but for music fans with open minds or fans of other experimental and avantgarde artists, like Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart, and Fred Firth.
Buster And Glen was origionally planned to be released as an individual album, but the Residents thought that the music on this album was more B-side material and so release it as the B-side to Duck Stab. The music on this one isn't as good as Duck Stab, i'll agree, though it is not a let down.
1.
Lizard Lady (1:53)
This song is fast paced for a residents, as most of their stuff is rather slow. The whole track is synthesisers, no instruments. The vocals, for the most part, are very nasal, like Les Claypool or Primus, until the entery of the 'Lizard', which is an extremely evil high pitched voice. The track fades out with the lizard singing "Don't believe in me..." over and over. The meaning of this song, I'm not exactly sure, but me and a friend discussed it and figured that it could be about a woman gettin kidnapped by a lizard. This is the kind of lyrics and song meanings to expect.
4/5
2.
Semolina (2:48)
The 'chorus' ("semolina, loves the seashore..") sounds like carnival music, even the vocals, as they are unusually harmonised and high pitched. Again, there is no real instruments in this track, just synthesizers and there are some samples, such as the sound of a seashore. I've always found this more entertaining than listenable, especially the outro when the out of key trumpets come in.
3/5
3.
Birthday Boy (2:41)
Opens with a really weird vocal, so much so that you can't make out whats being said. Then the happy birthday chant comes in, out of time and out of key, followed by a high pitched wail, which when is over, the song properly enters. The song is very bouncy with ludscious lyrics ("If an injun ate a plate I'd laugh and live abode"). Musically, this song is quite unusal. The backing band is deep with loud brass out in front. The song fades out with the birthday boy singing "happy birthday to me!". Fantastic song.
5/5
4.
Weight-Lifting Lulu (3:11)
A slow, deep song. I don't listen to this song much as I don't particularily like it that much. It reminds me of Blue Rosebuds off Duck Stab, and it is probably one of the more normal Residents song, that perhaps most would find something in to enjoy. Maybe I should
should find it good, but it just doesn't really have a residentsy feel except right towards the end, and it doesn't really fit into the stream of songs.
2.5/5
5.
Krafty Cheese (1:59)
Vocally and lyricly this song is very weird ("You care for plants and we care for you"). Sounds like creepy video game music, as the erse is dark while the chorus is slightly more upbeat, but never the less unusual. The vocals, towards the end are very eerie as the harmonised vocals are high pitched and vibrato.
3/5
6.
Hello Skinny (2:41)
Ah, one of the best Residents songs, and it should have been on Duck Stab, it not B-side material. The music is quite fast paced, with a nice jumping bass line, trumpets play a mnor progression of this in the chorus. The vocals are about as Residentsy as it gets; moderatly deep nasal style. The meaning of this song is about selling out, apparently, though I can't work it out directly, after reading the explanition I could understand. The song ends with the Residents chanting "hello dolly...". Primus covered this song on the re-release of Frizzle Fry.
5/5
7.
The Electrocutioner
A funny track, actually. There is a guest vocalist singing, a woman. The song is about, as the title suggests, an electrocutioner. There is a weird slide guitar solo, which is eventually drown out by a unusual noise I can't really describe, it sounds likea kind of electric-y noise. The song then becomes kind of 'gothic' and the song finishes on this sad, evil note. I would have preferred the song to have remained up-beat like in the intro, but ya can't get every thing.
3.5/5
Overall, this album is in no way better or at the same level as Duck Stab, though it does have its moments.
