Eskimo

Eskimo was inspired by the sounds recorded and photographs taken by the Residents friend the mysterious N. Senada while he was in the North Pole; you may buy into this mythology or not but the end result is an album of soundscapes, far far ahead of it's time. A previous reviewer described the music as desolate and indeed it is desolate, but it is also inherently beautiful in the same way that deolate landscapes are or can be.

There are a collection of stories to read while listening to the strange sounds emitting from your speakers but after a while these are irrelevant as you are drawn into the Residents sound picture of Eskimo life and landscape. There are many unusual sounds on offer here and again a patient and adventurous listener will be rewarded. This is quite like no other album in modern popular music.

I have lived with this album since it's original release in 1979 and I have never tired of it, it always reveals new joys to me.

As the sleeve notes say..... keep a warm blanket handy.

Watch out for the DVD version with the Dolby 5.1 surround sound....... how DVD audio should be.........magnificent!


Intruigingly unconventional. Dank.   December 12, 2000
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Now this is undeniably one of the strangest albums, not merely in music's august history but also in the canon of Residents albums. The glacial, desolate tones of this album are pretty unique, and well ahead of their time. There are few conventional tunes or understandable words, so some may baulk at "Eskimo". It's a fascinatingly desolate record with what I presume is an invented language and oddball invented instruments. The story of this concept album about perceived Eskimo life, is adept, and translated in the liner notes. This is worth a purchase if you're willing to open your mind to some completely new sounds.