Throughout the 70's, even though the Residents were pushing the boundaries of music, it always felt like they were either constrained by technological or format limitations. The end result was - there was an undeniable novelty streak - which undoubtedly helped keep them afloat. But Eskimo is the first true album that feels like a conceptualized whole, from start to finish. The very idea, of basing the music on chants and sound effects, seemed like an unsolvable puzzle to begin with, but the Residents create a separate world with a language and appeal all its very own.
