The Residents: Demons Dance Alone

There are undoubtedly bands out there who have managed to remain obscure for as long as the Residents, but few could match these San Francisco stalwarts who have never revealed their names or appeared onstage without various masks and disguises. But that could change: their music, once consistently remote to all but the most devoted, has taken a distinctly accessible turn; in fact, there are songs here (especially “Life Would Be Wonderful,” which appears in various forms no less than three times, with the band abetted by a female vocalist) that you might actually end up humming. Could be, as the promo literature suggests, that the new music was influenced by the somber events of 9/11. Or maybe they've just gotten mellower in their old age. Whatever. This is a welcome change of pace; not a sellout--the lyrics are still pretty peculiar, and often humorous (“If we had that hit recording, we could be on Oprah too…”)--but surprisingly, well, nice. Presented with a solid Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, The Residents: Demons Dance Alone suffers from poor video quality; since the stage was so dark, the film was shot using infrared light and then digitally reprocessed, adding some effects along the way, and the result, while sort of interesting, eventually becomes pretty tiresome. Still, all in all, this is a pleasant surprise. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (S. Graham)