The Residents are an American avant-garde music collective formed in San Francisco in the late 1960s, known for experimental, collage-based music, conceptual albums and a long-standing practice of secrecy and anonymity.

Known facts: formed in San Francisco; maintain anonymity and perform with eyeball masks and tuxedos as iconography; associated with the Theory of Obscurity; released landmark albums including Meet the Residents, Not Available, Eskimo, Fingerprince, The Commercial Album and The Third Reich 'n' Roll; linked historically to the independent label Ralph Records.

The Residents are a long-running American avant-garde music collective from San Francisco, famed for anonymity and iconography (eyeball masks). Reviews on DeBaser consistently praise landmark albums such as Not Available, Eskimo, Fingerprince and The Commercial Album. Their work is characterised by collage, tape-manipulation, synths, theatrical concept albums and satirical takes on popular music. Listeners are advised to approach albums as immersive, often challenging experiences.

For:Listeners of experimental and avant-garde music, fans of concept albums, and adventurous listeners who enjoy sound collage and satire.

 I have just finished listening to this "Not Available" three times in a row. I'm shaken, a bit astounded, but very satisfied. And I have understood its meaning.

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 The quintessential Anti-Pop, avant-garde Rock and its exaggeration, electronic experimentation and concrete music, skewed orchestral arrangements and filtered voices, tape manipulation and collages outside any logic or scheme, the visual as well as sonic setup of massive theaters of the absurd, the ability to subjugate popular music and American customs to the most mocking parody up to the most paroxysmal sarcasm, distorting and deconstructing every element of the "song," or what is supposed to be such, have been the trademarks that, with unflagging consistency and independence (see the Theory of Obscurity as a quest for purity in art), "The Residents" have carried on from the early seventies to today.

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 What I am going to review is one of the cornerstones of ambient music of all time: the Residents provide the most mystical, dark, delirious, and anti-commercial sound you can imagine.

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