The Residents—The Big Bubble

The Residents—The Big Bubble

The Big Bubble—It's always disheartening to have a source of entertainment turn into one of agony. The Residents' first-ever tour was supposed to add to the world of the Moles and Chubs from Mark of the Mole (1980) and The Tunes of Two Cities (1981), and people loved it, but many aspects of it turned out to be impractical.¹ Few reliable accounts exist on the details of the Mole Show's demise, but most seem to report that the Residents returned to the studio with their tails between their legs, bitterly, and perhaps with less personnel than they started—much as the characters of their production probably did following the war explained in Mark of the Mole. Incidentally, with the release of The Big Bubble, that is now the only hole in Mole history.

The Residents have allegedly claimed that the missing link between Mark of the Mole and The Big Bubble will be released (The Tunes of Two Cities was a companion piece with recordings that date prior to Mark), but more than thirty years later, it has yet to surface. It is possible that this period in the timeline was deemed non-essential. The Mole-Chub war would conceivably leave the two societies in disarray, and much of the following years would be spent regrouping, so there is a question as to whether there would be material to use for an album. The time elapsed between the two stories is expounded thusly:

"The survivors of the two cultures lived side-by-side in uneasy peace. The war had not resulted in any clear winner, but time had promoted those who had the appropriate appetite for power, and the Chubs were famous for their various appetites. Many Moles and Chubs had blended socially so mixed marriages were common. Their offspring were referred to as 'Cross.' In response to this a 'Zinkenite' movement by traditional Moles, or 'Mohelmot,' had surfaced to encourage the establishment of a new Mohelmot nation." —Liner notes of The Big Bubble (1985)

The exposition goes on to say that the Big Bubble is the name of a band and that The Big Bubble is their debut album. Most LPs of Bubble show a cover-within-a-cover graphic that backs this idea with four individuals that represent the band members. Ramsey, the lead singer (front-center), is portrayed by a Residents stage-hand, though the performance on the actual recordings was done by the Residents' usual vocalist. The man on the far right is a German fan of the Residents, and the identities of the other two are not known. The story goes that Ramsey and Frank, the principal songwriters, got together with Paul and Alex as a garage band and raised enough money to release the single "The Big Bubble," but because they had no name the song's title was appended to their identity.

A "second-generation Cross" named Kula Bocca spoke at a Zinkenite rally and asked the Big Bubble to play after his speech, as he "knew that [...] they needed the energy, passion, and, above all, naivete of youth." They played a new composition called "Cry for the Fire," which featured the Mole language that had been outlawed after the war. Bocca further conspired to have Ramsey arrested on these grounds as a political move, and "Cry for the Fire" became the Zinkenite anthem. He then contacted Frankie DuVall (spelled "Frinky" on the inner sleeve) of Black Shroud Records (the black shroud being the article of clothing the Moles wear as seen in depictions), who supported the Zinkenites even though he was a Chub; The Big Bubble became the first record to feature the traditional Mole lyrics.

What this all means for the listener is that The Big Bubble is not like its predecessors. It is recorded as if it was a real LP—song-oriented, with no overarching story other than that which exists in the abstract. If Mark of the Mole was something like a cast recording, and The Tunes of Two Cities was a cultural document made up of historical recordings, then The Big Bubble is the contemporary rock album, and with it the Residents have compiled a triumvirate of various ways one can experience music. Bubble is also the beginning of the Residents' new sound; between it and Tunes there was not an exorbitant amount of original music by the band as they recovered from the failure of their tour. The songs are inundated with dark, cutting synths and semitones, which would continue with God in Three Persons (1988), though that album and any that follow are not part of the Mole saga.

Bubble suffers from tedium. It is roughly the same length as Tunes, but that album had the advantage of dynamics and a wider range of sounds. When looking at the overall Mole concept, it's understandable that the Residents recorded an album faithful to the characters they created. The Big Bubble is a debut LP, so the repetitive nature is apropos, as is the lack of anything resembling a hook; the lyrics are either nonsensical, tough to comprehend, or sung in the Mole language for which no translation is provided, which again can be explained via an intuitive leap: the Big Bubble is likely made of Cross members, who probably weren't given higher standards of education, so their music and lyrics are more primal and simplistic.

Unfortunately, The Big Bubble cannot be recommended on its own merits. The music is not exactly bad, and some stand out, but it is not varied enough to warrant repeated listening. However, for anyone who loved Mark of the Mole and the rest of the Mole media, Bubble is an essential adventure. Its story provides a plethora of talking points for the enthusiast, with its fatal drawback being that for the first time, that story overtook the music.

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1 residents.com/historical4/mole/page1/index.php^↩

The Residents—The Tunes of Two Cities

The Residents—The Tunes of Two Cities

The Tunes of Two Cities—It is fitting that the Residents would not choose to make a traditional sequel to Mark of the Mole. They are not a transparent band, and Mole was not a clear-cut work. The follow-up is titled in respect to the Charles Dickens novel: The Tunes of Two Cities, which ironically is less of a recounting and more of a repository.

Tunes does actually satisfying the most burning question that Mole raised: What were the two cultures like before fate forever fused them? Mole did offer a portrait of Mole society, but it left much to the imagination, and Chubs were barely defined, existing primarily as villains. Tunes has a Chub right on the cover, and it's just as unflattering; he or she wears a Mole puppet that looks the same as the one on Mark of the Mole, which suggests the interesting implication that Mole was something akin to a stage show. This could be a somatic reference, as the Residents would kick off the ill-fated "Mole Show" around this time, which was topically successful but a logistical nightmare.

The liner notes explain, "The Tunes of Two Cities [...] is a documentation of the music of these two cultures as they were before fate threw them into turmoil. The tracks on this disc alternate between societies [...] making its point, not just by what is said... but by the listener's willingness to understand the globe-wrenching power of 'difference,'" implying that the Chubs are not necessarily malefactors, and that conclusions about the two peoples can be drawn a posteriori. Tunes must be analyzed in the larger context of its fiction, especially considering its songs are largely instrumental. Most of the Chub songs are styled like big band, jazz, and swing numbers or are outright adaptations of them. This music was sometimes seen in its time as a novelty: simple dance music enjoyed by the masses. The Moles' music is not crafted into songs per se, and echoes Mark of the Mole with dark, percussive noise and devotional-type chanting.

The song titles for the Mole pieces are vital to understanding the ideas, while the Chub song titles only serve to confuse. "God of Darkness" and "Praise for the Curse" are Mole hymns, while the other songs suggest tribal inclinations or rural life. The Chub titles are seemingly irreverent, such as "Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)" (which is "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller). The last two Chub songs break the cycle: "Song of the Wild" sounds like a blend of the two cultural styles, and "Happy Home," bearing the parenthetical text "Excerpt from Act II of 'Innisfree,'" takes a cue from the opening to Mark of the Mole and turns it into an ominous, lurching requiem.

The connotation seems to be that although the Moles and Chubs are wildly different, there is enough common ground to indicate the two can live in peace. This is supported by The Big Bubble (1985), whose story in the Residents' words says that several decades after the war in Mark of the Mole, some Moles and Chubs had blended socially and mixed marriages were common. The logical conclusion between this and the existence of the Mole Show seems to be that Mark of the Mole was, in fact, a theater production and not a first-hand account. If the phrase spoken in "Happy Home" is of Chub origin, and the song existed before the events of Mole (to reiterate: "the music of these two cultures as they were before"), it means this phrase was appended to the Mole production. It follows that this might cast doubt on the verity of Mark of the Mole, but the bias must reasonably come from a Mole-sympathizing Chub or a mixed-race individual.

Regarding the music outside the context of the saga, the Residents turn in a memorable performance. The sampling keyboard is used to great effect, as the noises produced by it sound more environmental than they do digital, adding atmosphere to a record that is dissonant by nature. The Mole songs are certainly the highlights, aside from the Chubs' inspired "Song of the Wild" and the at least engaging "Happy Home." It is understandable that there are four cheesy Chub tunes to even out the set, but for the listener, the point is made with just one or two; however, they are brief enough that they do not detract from the experience too greatly. The Tunes of Two Cities and its ensuing tour turned out to be near-doom for the Residents, but it is a good listen and a welcome addition to the Mole trilogy.

The Residents—Mark of the Mole

The Residents—Mark of the Mole

Mark of the Mole—Ambitious projects have fickle natures. The essence of the avant-garde poses more problems for the persistent artist, as the ability to furnish one's work is often reliant on the overall appeal of it all. The Residents have always been uncompromising, even subversive, titling their latest LP in 1980 "The Commercial Album." Until that point, the group always worked within the confines of a single production, even if the idea was grand. Their numerous albums and the scrapped Vileness Fats were all more or less self-contained. Eskimo (1979) was a challenging effort, but not a massive undertaking—then came Mark of the Mole.

The Residents are not primarily a touring band, which is not surprising, given the principles of the collective. The eyeball costumes first conceived for the cover of Eskimo gave them an approach to stage performance that allowed concealment of their identities while maintaining a certain other physiognomy. Their true intentions are not known, but Mole may not have begun life as a grandiose performance act; it was not until its follow-up The Tunes of Two Cities that the band commenced its supporting tour, "The Mole Show." It was either intended to be the first of any number of "Mole" albums (sources vary as to this quantity) or was just a single item that the Residents later decided to expand upon. Most agree that it was intended as a trilogy; The Big Bubble (1985) purported to be "Part Four of the Mole Trilogy," but this may have been a simple joke after the eventual failure of the Mole Show.

Mark of the Mole is the story of the Moles and the Chubs, who are forced to live together in the land of the Chubs when endless rain drives the Moles from their own. It is possible the catalyst for this story was something that happened to the Residents¹ or any number of existing works,² but Mole is generally treated as a pure fiction. The foreboding "Voices of the Air" seems to correspond to the abstract art on the album cover: the Moles live in a craggy underground society, suddenly unusually cloudy and breezy according to Penn Jillette's narration given in the form of a radio broadcast. "The Pit" is about to be overcome by heavy rain, which proves to be "The Ultimate Disaster." The Moles only wish to toil, worshiping darkness and a god that is referred to in related media as "Disposer." The Residents' music here is rhythmic, understated, and tribal, reflecting a rustic society. The Moles relish an uneasy calm, but as sirens and rushing water begin to be heard, they lament their impending exodus.

The unnamed speaking Mole appears to prophesy and channel his god, with a sinister voice superimposed over his words. He and the Moles conclude that there is salvation by the sea, and the chaos fades out and calmly back in as "Migration." The Moles are optimistic as they march; the music is subdued, but from a relative view this is to be taken as buoyant and cheery. The listener is introduced to the "Observer" character, who is never explicitly mentioned before or after this point. He states that the Moles move at night, and also alludes to a previous time of strife. The Moles eventually make it to "Another Land," when the Chubs speak for the first time. They seem to have only a vague understanding of whence the Moles come and see in them low-cost labor, looking to exploit their propensity to work tirelessly. The music that comes with the Chubs is uncharacteristic of their "cheap thrills" society and more reflects their sinister nature in the eyes of the Moles. The Moles line up for work and not all are given employment, suggesting overpopulation in the newly-integrated society.

Conditions seem to have stabilized as "The New Machine" begins. An engineer, who is a Mole or at least a sympathizer, proclaims he will build a "great machine" that will release the Moles from their effective slavery. The Chubs meanwhile whip themselves into a frenzy over paranoid claims that the Moles will overrun their society and "steal [their] daughters." The engineer initially fails, but with great perseverance completes his machine. This incites an uprising as he had hoped, and the Chubs jeer the Moles bitterly. The Moles are more reserved in their response to the conflict, but "The Final Confrontation" nonetheless develops. The brief conflict is represented by dissonant noise and synthesizer-sirens, eventually culminating in a wash of screams and earthen croaking. The coda is plodding and peaceful by comparison, yet tense and haunting. The liner notes to The Big Bubble indicate that the war did not end with a definite victor.

Mark of the Mole certainly comes out of left field, but it is a compelling and surprisingly relatable story. It is unmusical, but there is a genuine sense of the Moles' culture in what music does exist, and the soundscapes illustrate well the environmental conditions and settings. The lyrics and spoken words do not always clearly indicate their meanings, but the rest of the package usually gives enough context to infer the feelings and story cues. The climactic but uncertain resolution of the story and the promise of a rich, larger world leave the listener wanting more, and the grotesque characters somehow invoke compassion.

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1 residents.com/historical4/mole/page3/page3.php^↩
2 gio80.com/mark-of-the-mole^↩