Animal Lover - The Residents
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. A beautiful concept that's been beautifully executed.
  2. 80
    By turns oblique, soulful, scornful yet rarely dissonant. Rather, it's one of their lovelier, more formal offerings. [Mar 2005, p.108]
  3. Going "conventional" may be the strangest move the Residents have ever made. [May 2005, p.178]
  4. A cracked masterpiece.... it rewards your attention with dreamy, surreal vistas, skewed poetry and flights of unadulterated musical madness.
  5. The Residents walk a precarious line between American underbelly creepiness and a more mannered absurdism. [#254, p.63]
  6. 60
    Fans will wallow in the superficial nuttiness of it all--though profound issues underlie the wilful eccentricity. [Mar 2005, p.96]
  7. 60
    Dystopia pop at its most intriguing. [May 2005, p.93]
  8. Not for the unquesting. [Mar 2005, p.101]
  9. In small doses, Animal Lover acts as the perfect antidote to a musical landscape often cluttered by acts too timid to truly challenge their audiences.
  10. On Animal Lovers, the Residents show, as always, a lot of heart and thought in the lyrics and ideas and even in their theatrical vocal performances, but that effort only sporadically shows up in the music itself.
  11. For better or for worse, the rest of the music world has caught up with them. [#9]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. GeneG
    10
    I always loved their - and now also more/ Very minds album/ Great thanx!!!
  2. paulm
    9
    animal lover is one of their most melodic releases ever. i am huge fan and have been for 20 years. although my favorites are Not Available, Meet the Residents, Fingerprince and Dusk Stab, for them to release something so uniquely dark and beautiful after 30 years says a lot. the only thing wish it had more of are the haunting vocals from the past. the female arrangements are brilliant and weird, but a bit less personal. thank you Full Review »
  3. vincet
    10
    This is a fantastic CD. Some of the best work ever by the eyeballs. Unlike anything I have ever heard. A very refreshing change to what music has offered in the last few years. Full Review »