The Bunny Boy (album)
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The Bunny Boy is the thirty-second studio album by The Residents, released September 1st 2008 in Europe by Mute Records, and September 2nd 2008 in America by MVD Audio and Santa Dog Records.
Part of a larger multimedia project (including an Internet video series which premiered on the day of the album's release, and a tour which began shortly thereafter), The Bunny Boy tells the story of the group's early collaborator Bunny Hartley and his search for his missing brother.
History
Writing and recording
In late 2007, The Residents were sent a series of bizarre videos featuring a former acquaintance pleading with the group to find his brother. These videos inspired the group to create a multimedia project to raise awareness for their friend's search.[1]
The Singing Resident wanted to make a web series wherein he portrayed the man, Bunny Hartley, and wanted an album to go along with it. Another Resident had been working on an instrumental album for some time, and the two traded projects. The Singing Resident would write lyrics for the instrumental album, and The Other Resident would contrapt a score for the web show. [2]
Lyrically, the album is filled with direct references to the web series, although one would never determine a concept or linking theme in the songs without prior knowledge of the series.
When recording the album, the group were assisted by Carla Fabrizio and Nolan Cook, who had been consistently working with the group for ten years at that point. This album also features Joshua Raoul Brody, who had been infrequently been working with The Residents since 1976 and most notably performed on George & James, The Big Bubble, and Cube-E.
Release
On May 21st, 2008, The Cryptic Corporation announced that The Residents would be engaging in their first tour since The Way We Were in 2005, titled The Bunny Boy. A few days later, on May 27th, Cryptic announced that The Residents would be signing with MVD Audio, and then, on June 3rd, they announced The Bunny Boy album, as well as a series of short Internet videos.
The album was released in Europe by Mute Records on September 1st 2008, the same day that the video series premiered on YouTube. The album was released in America by MVD Audio and The Residents' short-lived vanity imprint Santa Dog Records the following day. The Bunny Boy marked the end of the group's brief history with Mute Records, who they had signed with in 2004, releasing their albums Animal Lover, Tweedles! and The Voice of Midnight through the label.
After the first fifteen episodes of the video series were released, on October 3rd, The Residents began The Bunny Boy tour. The live show reflected the narrative of the video series only up to its latest episode, so as to not spoil the series for those who were seeing the live show. The tour continued until December 9th, with the final episode of the first season of the video series debuting three days later on the 12th.
A second season of the video series, subtitled Arkansas, ran throughout early 2009, continuing the story of Bunny Hartley after the conclusion of the tour.
Reception
Contemporary
Freelance music reviewer Mark Prindle described The Bunny Boy as "an absolute return-to-form... continuing the astonishing comeback trail that [The Residents] have been on since Wormwood hit the stands a full decade ago", noting that the album's songwriting encompasses "both their original weirdo avant-garde sense of anti-melody and their newer 'normal but melancholy' approach", with the "creepy, odd" lyrics and "surpringly dramatic" arrangements "[working] together towards an intelligent and compellingly macabre end".[3]
Legacy
Production on a Bunny Boy sequel started in early 2009, but was abandoned by May in favor of the Talking Light tour. Songs from this sequel and outtakes from the original were compiled into the Ozan, Arkansas, and Ozark releases.
The concept would be revisited by the group in April 2019, with the release of a limited edition book, The Bunny Boy Emails, compiling selected correspondence between Bunny Hartley and the group's fans, as well as an art installation reconstructing Bunny's secret room. A live Twitch stream was hosted from the secret room, with Bunny responding to fan questions.
Track listing
- Boxes of Armageddon (2:12)
- Rabbit Habit (2:13)
- I'm Not Crazy (2:38)
- Pictures from a Little Girl (2:29)
- What If It's True? (2:32)
- Fever Dreams (1:37)
- Butcher Shop (2:34)
- I Like Black (2:23)
- Secret Room (3:19)
- My Nigerian Friend (1:59)
- It Was Me (1:59)
- Golden Guy (2:22)
- The Bunny Boy (2:24)
- Blood on the Bunny (2:13)
- I Killed Him (2:15)
- The Dark Man (2:34)
- Secret Message (2:38)
- Patmos (2:30)
- The Black Behind (4:44)
Liner Notes
Not long ago, an unsolicited DVD arrived at The Residents' studio.
Since the location of the group's private inner sanctum is a closely-guarded secret, the appearance of the disc was definitely regarded as a little strange.
Other than the occasional piece of junk mail, nothing ever arrived at The Residents' intimate workspace without an invitation. But the envelope containing the disc bore a familiar return address, so, after first ignoring it for a few weeks, The Residents finally opened the package and put the disc, crudely-labeled "Postcards From Patmos," into a DVD player.
Fascinated, the group watched as a most curious document unfolded before their eyes. It seems that a former colleague, known to everyone as "Bunny," had become convinced that his brother had disappeared on the Greek island of Patmos. After weeks of vainly attempting to get assistance in locating his lost sibling, the man detailed his plight in a series of videos. Technically inept, The Residents' former friend was reaching out to them for assistance. It seems the man had heard of YouTube and other internet video websites, but he had no idea how to upload his pathetically primitive cry for help.
Uncertain as to whether they were watching evidence of a real problem, ignored by friends and authorities, or the gradual breakdown of a once-stable personality, The Residents were nevertheless moved by their friend's dilemma and immediately decided to offer their help. Using their colleague's return address and last-known phone number as starting points, they attempted to reach him but got no response. Determined, they contacted other friends and former co-workers of the man, but no one had seen him for months. It was as if he had disappeared.
The group then thought the best solution was to upload their friend's videos exactly as it was given to them, but after watching the DVD several times, they came to the conclusion that it was simply too crude - even for YouTube. The lighting, sound quality, and camera work were so substandard that their friend's cry for help would never be seen. While posting the videos might be a labor of love, the group's energy and affection was obviously misplaced. But what could they do?
After brief consideration, the answer became obvious, and the original 'Postcards from Patmos' DVD became inspiration for The Residents' latest project. Changing the name to THE BUNNY BOY, in honor of their missing friend, the group recorded an album of pop songs based on the contents of the original DVD. Then, continuing to feel pathos and inspiration for their colleague's situation, they re-created the original 'Patmos' videos. Finally, incorporating both the songs and videos into a new performance piece, The Residents are taking The Bunny Boy on tour - Coming soon to a venue near you in the fall/winter of 2008.
Credits
- Performed By: The Residents
- With Guests: Carla Fabrizio, Nolan Cook & Joshua Raoul Brody.
- Written By: The Residents
- Produced By: The Cryptic Corporation
Release History
| Year | Label | Format | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | MVD Audio / Santa Dog Records | CD | USA |
| Mute | Europe | ||
| Gala Records | Russia | ||
| 2019 | Bandits-Mages | France |
See also
- Bunny Hartley
- The Bunny Boy (video series)
- Is Anybody Out There?
- The Bunny Boy (tour)
- Postcards From Patmos
- The Bunny Boy Emails
- Ozan
- Arkansas
- Ozark
External links and references
- ↑ The Bunny Boy - Historical | The Residents
- ↑ Charles Bobuck - THIS (2016)
- ↑ Mark Prindle, "The Bunny Boy", Mark's Record Reviews, August 22nd 2008
