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October’s a big month for CD releases. Aside from Radiohead, icons as big as Springsteen and Neil Young, pop juggernauts like Carrie Underwood and Kid Rock, and indie darlings like The Fiery Furnaces and Robert “I release every song I write” Pollard all have a disc (or in Pollard’s case, two) coming out this month. In the midst of all that comes a new album by one of the most consistently smart, innovative, and ignored bands in the world, The Residents.
Voice of Midnight (Mute), which comes out October 23, is based on a short story by early 19th century German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann about madness and the age-old struggle between reason and emotion. It’s exactly the type of material that usually provides the anonymous, eyeball-headed quartet’s best work.
The opening track, “The Sandman,” is available for preview at the Residents’ website. If it’s any indication, Voice of Midnight will be a real gem.