DISKOMO - Theme from the Walrus Hunt/Bladder Music/Crossing
the Tundra/Spirit Battle/Sunrise/Reprise Theme from the Walrus Hunt
GOOSEBUMP -
Disaster
Plants
Farmers
Twinkle
DISKOMO/GOOSEBUMP
12-inch Single
| DISKOMO - Theme from the Walrus Hunt/Bladder Music/Crossing
the Tundra/Spirit Battle/Sunrise/Reprise Theme from the Walrus Hunt |
|
Diskomo was the Residents' reaction to the critics and fans' adoration of Eskimo. That 1979 opus had been lauded as a "serious" work of art; Andy Gill of New Musical Express called "One of the (if not the) most important albums ever made." To both deflate their own egos and frustrate the far-too-serious treatment of Eskimo (nobody seemed to notice the admittedly subtle satire of the album), the Residents cobbled together some of its highlights, re-recorded them with a goofy "dance" sensibility, and released the new record on a 12-inch single (the preferred media for dance records) with a logo in one corner of the cover that read "DISCO WILL NEVER DIE!" In fact, the music wasn't disco at all, but gained a following in the short-lived New Wave Disco movement.
The B-Side, Goosebump, was an absurd reinterpretation of several children's songs, largely performed on instruments the band had bought at Toys 'R' Us.
Like Santa Dog, the Residents frequently revisit Diskomo, but without the quasi-regularity with which they reinvent their first record. Diskomo had seen new versions in 1982, 1985, 1992, and 2000, among others.
RATING: 8
As clever and as unexpected a rewrite as Eskimo as there could be, for starters. Disco it ain't, but it is dance, even if it's weird-ass dance. Diskomo is sorta melodic in parts, and more instantly memorable than Eskimo, but I doubt it got much play at Studio 54.
I like it a lot. It's incredibly refreshing to hear a group taking the piss out of what it knows is its best work. But even cooler is how intriguing Diskomo is when it stands on its own. It has several (indistinct) sections, although it's built around a melody from Eskimo's "The Walrus Hunt," and has electronic experiments that sound fresh and new and cutting-edge almost 25 years after its release....I can't imagine how it must have sounded in 1980, before there was any EDM to speak of. (I should also mention that I've always liked the 1982 "Diskomo" better, but the original's beginning to catch it.)
Still and all, it's Goosebump, that brings me back to this one again and again. It's not really all (or even mostly) toy instruments, but they add a really interesting dimension to the affair where they do appear. I'm really drawn, though, to the way these children's songs are organized. For instance, the Residents put together "Johnny's So Long at the Fair," "Humpty-Dumpty," and "London Bridge" under the moniker, "Disaster." Fairly accurate, and it makes you stop and think: what the Hell are we teaching our kids? "Farmers" is even better, because it organizes songs around "Old MacDonald." "And on that farm he had a weasel" (introducing "Pop! Goes the Weasel") seems a little silly, and you completely lose it for "And on that farm he had some Injuns" (for "Ten Little Indians"). But "Twinkle" (guess what children's song) sounds as lovely and awe-struck as it ever did.
Right now these tracks are only available as additional tracks on the Diskomo 2000 EP, but it's worthwhile for the originals. Cheap, too. I highly recommend it.