Mute U.S.
2005
Animal Lover
About This Album
The reigning kings of the concept album are back with Animal Lover, another very dense though not completely impenetrable offering from the Residents. They seem to be continuing with the themes of mortality that surfaced in Demons Dance Alone, but this time viewed through the observations and relationships between humans and animals. Each song is accompanied by a written text (in addition to the lyrics), that sketches the scene and characters of the song. There seems to be an overall structure to the work as a whole because groups of songs are separated from each other by brief instrumentals. There's a general malaise permeating Animal Lover, but each of the "sets" of songs presents its own moods and emotions (one set is more menacing and confrontational, one set very sad and sympathetic, etc.). As has been the case for decades now, the Residents have a knack for exposing the dark underbelly of the human condition, but this time it's tempered with some surprisingly empathetic moments. "Inner Space" deals with a woman watching her father die in a hospital (the story explained through the eyes of a mouse, but sung by the daughter) and "The Cat" seems to be about a mother and son and their changed relationship both to each other and the family cat following the son's absence, perhaps due to a war.
Track List

Disc 1 (try tracks 1,3,4,7 and 10)

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Disc 2

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