To celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Eskimo’ The Residents present a unique collection of the album’s constituent parts, and encourage their public to remix and rework the album – and it’s out this week!
ESKIMO DECONTRUCTED IS RELEASED THIS FRIDAY (31st MAY). ORDER YOUR COPY HERE.
Including over seventy individual musical elements, chants, loops and sound effects recorded on location by the group in the mid-late 1970s, plus a backing CD of Arctic wind noise, this remarkable set provides unprecedented insight into the three years’ recording and construction of a legendary album, and an opportunity for fans to “walk around inside a masterpiece, the viewing angles almost infinite”.
Conceived by The Residents partly in response to their satisfaction with the successful ‘I AM A RESIDENT’ project and their fans’ musical abilities, and with their own love of interfering with the music of their heroes in mind, ‘Eskimo (Deconstructed)’ represents a first. Never before has a band peeled back the layers of one of their finest works in such microscopic detail, and made those highly intimate elements available to the public to re-interpret as they choose.
Sure, it’s a classic, and this is undoubtedly sacrilege, but consider this a chance to screw with The Residents’ music just like they’ve been screwing with everybody else’s for almost fifty years now. Dig out your sampler and your turntables and dive in!
‘Eskimo (Deconstructed)’ is the latest in a series of archival Residents reissues that will continue throughout 2019 and beyond. Look out for ‘American Composers Series’, ‘God In 3 Persons’ and ‘Cube-E’ sets, coming soon.
Signed Test Pressing
DISC ONE: LP
SIDE ONE
1. MYSTERIOUS CHANT #1
2. GA GA GA
3. NEKI NEKI
4. CATCH ‘EM UP
5. MYSTERIOUS CHANT #2
6. OOH WIT AAH STOMP
7. SOMETHING INTERRUPTS THE CHATTER
8. HUNT FIELD RECORDING
9. CRANK
10. MEAT
11. MYSTERIOUS/INDIGENOUS SONG
12. NORTH WESTERN POEM #1
13. RESIDENTS POEM #1
14. DODGERS ALL THE WAY!
15. BREAK
16. COMMERCIAL CHANT
17. STUDIO ARGUMENT
18. NORTH WESTERN POEM #2
19. SQUEEZE
20. INDIGENOUS CHANT #1
21. TWO AMUSED HUNTERS IMPERSONATE THE RESIDENTS
22. ASKED
23. DRIVEN
24. AN AMUSED HUNTER IMPERSONATES PLAYER
25. LIFE
26. WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO PREY
SIDE TWO
1. ESKIMO’ THEME
2. SYNTHESISER PAD #1
3. SIX INUIT MUSICIANS IMPERSONATE THE RESIDENTS
4. BIRTH FIELD RECORDING EXTRACT
5. ALBUM FINALE VERSION ONE
6. ANCIENT WHALE CHANT
7. A MUSICIAN PLAYS KOOA FOR US (AT DAYBREAK)
8. UNKNOWN INDIGENOUS POEM & SYNTHESISER
9. KOOA MUSICIAN AT DAYBREAK TAKE 2
10. THE RESIDENTS REHEARSE AN OLD NORTHWESTERN PLAY
11. ALBUM FINALE VERSION TWO
DISC TWO: LP
SIDE THREE
1. COMMERCIAL RHYTHM & POOEYE
2. ROUNDING UP HUNTERS
3. WOUNDED AND DRAGGED ASHORE
4. FLOATING DOWNSTREAM
5. AN EXCITED WELCOME!
6. SEGOOK AND OOLUKSAK REHEARSAL
7. THE HUNT ACCELERATES TOWARDS A KILL
8. POSSIBLY ANOTHER BIRTH
9. A COMMUNAL CLAPALONG
10. ANGAKOK SERMON
11. THE RESIDENTS GREETED ONE BY ONE
12. ATSEAK ORCHESTRA
13. GRUMBLING
14. BELLS AND WHISTLES RHYTHM
15. THE SLED CHASE
16. DRUMS AND HORNS
17. SEDRAK PIECE DRAWS A CROWD
18. THE LONE LOOKOUT
SIDE FOUR
1. TRAIN RIDE
2. CREAKING IN THE WIND
3. SYNTHESISER PAD #2 AND WHISTLIN’
4. WATER’S EDGE RITUAL AND OVERDUBS
5. DRONE PIECE #1
6. TAPE SPEED PLAY IMPROV
7. TWINKLZ
8. DOGS
9. DRONE PIECE #2
10. WHISTLE WHILE YOU WALK
11. WATER’S EDGE FIELD RECORDING
12. SYNTH BANG
13. SYNTH SWELL
14. BELL
15. SONAR COMMUNICATIONS
16. LOW SYNTH RISES UP
17. WE ALL STOMP
18. SOMEBODY’S ABSTRACT PIECE
DISC THREE: CD
1. ARCTIC FIELD RECORDING
ESKIMO DECONTRUCTED IS RELEASED IN MAY.
