Eskimo by The Residents

Eskimo

by The Residents

Released: September 26, 1979

Avant-garde, ambient, post-punk

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Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Companion Album.

01

The Album

"Eskimo" is the sixth studio album by the American art rock group The Residents, released in 1979 after delays following Fingerprince. The album features homemade instruments and chanting set against a backdrop of wind-like synthesizer sounds and various effects. Each track combines music with pseudo-ethnographic narratives, presenting a satirical take on the ignorance and mistreatment of indigenous cultures, particularly Inuit.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

Despite its claim to be a historical document…

Despite its claim to be a historical document, the stories are absurd and loosely based on actual culture, using a mix of gibberish and commercial slogans.

Diskomo was released in 1980 as a companion…

Diskomo was released in 1980 as a companion piece to Eskimo, featuring a remix of its tracks set to a disco beat.

In 1988, Belgian new beat group L&O covered…

In 1988, Belgian new beat group L&O covered it, retitling the song "Even Now." A follow-up EP, Diskomo 2000, was released in 2000, which included the original remix, the B-side "Goosebump" (a collection of children's songs played on toy instruments), and several new versions.

The title track of the EP reinterprets Diskomo…

The title track of the EP reinterprets Diskomo in the style of "Even Now.".

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Eskimo" is the sixth studio album by the American art rock group The Residents, released in 1979 after delays following Fingerprince. The album features homemade instruments and chanting set against a backdrop of wind-like synthesizer sounds and various effects. Each track combines music with pseudo-ethnographic narratives, presenting a satirical take on the ignorance and mistreatment of indigenous cultures, particularly Inuit. Despite its claim to be a historical document, the stories are absurd and loosely based on actual culture, using a mix of gibberish and commercial slogans.

Diskomo was released in 1980 as a companion piece to Eskimo, featuring a remix of its tracks set to a disco beat. In 1988, Belgian new beat group L&O covered it, retitling the song "Even Now." A follow-up EP, Diskomo 2000, was released in 2000, which included the original remix, the B-side "Goosebump" (a collection of children's songs played on toy instruments), and several new versions. The title track of the EP reinterprets Diskomo in the style of "Even Now."

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