WORMWOOD: CURIOUS STORIES FROM THE BIBLE

By far one of the better of the post-1980 releases from North Louisiana's phenomenal pop combo, The Residents. Some neat and strange music, ever in their kooky style, is the backdrop for the eyeballs to tell you some Bible stories. Their Sunday School theatre, however, are performances of the stranger, more violent, and more sexy tales from the Tanakh. The weirdest thing about this album, then, is that there's no track for the Song of Solomon. The singing and lyrics are the main and best part, conveying the band's vision of what is described in scripture with all their usual range and skill. And they only describe. That allows the album to work. The music isn't much to write home about, unfortunately, and unlike their masterpieces, but it is still enjoyable and compliments the singing well. A good listen for diehard Residents fans and the curious.