Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 12/13/2005
The Mole Trilogy probably competes with
Vileness Fats as the most elaborate concept
the Residents have ever undertaken. So elaborate, in fact, that neither project was ever carried through to completion and only portions of each have been released.
The Mole Trilogy tells the epic tale of two races, "the Moles" and "the Chubs," and how "the Moles" are forced from their homeland and ultimately subjugated as cheap labor in the land of "the Chubs." This, of course, leads to conflict and -- well, nobody really knows what happens next.
The Mole Trilogy was originally conceived in six parts: each third of the trilogy contained a document that told part of the story of "the Moles" and "the Chubs," and that was paired with a "cultural artifact" intended to represent the art and music of "the Moles" and "the Chubs." Since only parts one, two, and four of the trilogy have been released, and only
Mark of the Mole (Pt. One) actually relates the story, the listener is left to guess at how the story turns out.
Intermission was music designed to be played before and after the live
Mole Show, as well as during the intermission. As part of their on-going reissue campaign,
the Residents and
Mute have collected all the
Mole Trilogy material into two deluxe packages:
Mark of the Mole/Intermission and
Tunes of Two Cities/The Big Bubble. Since
Tunes of Two Cities and
The Big Bubble clearly fit together as "cultural artifacts,"
Mark of the Mole and
Intermission go together almost by default. They're packaged together in a CD-sized, 31-page hardbound book, with both the story that comprises the
Mole Trilogy (as much as you get, anyway), and the story of the
Mole Trilogy as it relates to
the Residents' history. Additionally, there are reproductions of much of the artwork from the sets of the
Mole Show.
Mark of the Mole is also the point at which
the Residents began to utilize almost exclusively the icy synthesizer sounds they've become known for ever since (technology finally caught up to them). The music is sometimes cold and abrasive, but the story is fascinating and works on many levels. This is one of
the Residents' most notorious works.
~Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
;)
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