THE BUNNY BOY

The Bunny Boy by The Residents was released in 2008, the time when The Residents was once again putting out better output, even though it was still very satirical, at least the quality of the music was better. Many people would argue that this was one of their better albums, and I have to agree. The electronics had gotten better and the vocals were not quite as annoying, but not only that, the stories were (usually) more imaginative and they also incorporated real instruments along with electronics to help flesh things out, and they also included other singers sometimes as lead and other time as simply background.

In this album, the songs are all quite short, so they tend to move a long better and the album doesn't drag on so much. The album is also quite verbose, and the singing is mostly done by The Residents' vocalist, but it's not as annoying as say 'God in 3 Persons' in that he doesn't just narrate, he also sings, and this is all made more listenable with the background singers giving more substance to the music. Overall, the music is still somewhat minimal, at least now you get some wailing guitars in different songs and the percussion is better, in that it doesn't sound so much like your grandma's cheap Wurlitzer organ. There is also an extensive use of processed vocals, but not always in a bad way, it gives more depth to the music.

The avant garde nature of the music is also present and it is better utilized. You still get a kooky story line here too. Originally, the music supported a vido story that was posted in serial on The Residents' web site (66 episodes). The videos are not there anymore, but the music still stands alone quite well. The story is basically about a kid known as The Bunny Boy who posts videos on YouTube, who asks his followers to help him locate his Armageddon-obsessed brother who was lost on the island of Patmos. By the time the album is over, you are not really sure if there was a brother or if Bunny Boy was actually the lost person. Or maybe he killed his brother? Who knows? The Residents keep everything shrouded in mystery. The songs have to do with different emails and ideas that his followers put into his head. Yeah, it's all weird, just what you would expect from The Residents. But the music is some of their best with short songs that are complicated enough to be considered avant garde. Some are quite up beat, while others are slow and brooding, but it all stays interesting music-wise through the entire album. You still feel like the music is also bordering on the edge of sanity which is also expected from the band.

Even though it is not one of the best albums in their discography, it is good enough to at least be one of their better ones. It doesn't quite hold up to 'Duck Stab', 'Eskimo', 'Coochie Brake' or 'Wormwood', but it is one that a newcomer could listen to, if they wanted to get an idea of The Residents strange music, especially in the latter years. It tends to drag a bit at the end, but at least it's a lot easier to get through than some of their less interesting albums, and the music is also among the better quality of the band. It also is not a 'one-trick-pony' joke either and the music stands well on it's own, unlike some of their other projects. Anyway, this is a good one for the curious, but also a good one for the fans. 4 stars.