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#Post#: 27--------------------------------------------------
DDA Album Cover Interpretations
By: moleshow Date: October 16, 2016, 10:54 pm
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i'm curious as to how everyone interpreted DDA's cover art?
the way i saw it was this: the grinning(?) demon clutches what
is essentially a symbol of a loved and cherished past, both
glowing and dripping blood- possibly reflecting both a divine
and human quality. and because of the presence of the demon,
comes the fists in the background that he stands in front of,
unaffected. the fists are all different, but all represent
aggression without direction. they head straight to the ground;
they are all at different degrees of closeness to the ground,
but they are all driven to the same place, the same conclusion.
the presence of the demon renders their aggression unifying and
futile.
#Post#: 39--------------------------------------------------
Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
By: FrenesiGates Date: October 18, 2016, 9:07 am
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All I know is that I had a visceral reaction from this image,
and it was among the first Residents things I ever saw. The only
place I, maybe, disagree with your interpretation is concerning
the falling fists. I feel like they're symbolically coming down
directly on the demon, and not necessarily in a
futile/directionless way. Like, I think the fists are meant to
be understood as weakening the demon
Attached is a rare image from the DDA days. Maybe it will help
interpret the actual cover
#Post#: 40--------------------------------------------------
Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
By: moleshow Date: October 18, 2016, 10:09 am
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i see what you mean, but i feel like the live show has more of
that "attacking the demon in unity" theme to it, oddly enough.
the album evokes a sort of.. isolated feeling. the song Demons
Dance Alone almost takes on two different meanings when the live
version and the album version are compared. the album version of
it seems to imply a certain surrender to the demon, while the
live version almost pushes it to "attempting to beat the demon
at its own game", if that makes any sense.
this image calls to mind the Demonic! Live in Oslo cover, and i
wonder if there is some correlation between the two? it would
seem that in this alternate image, it is the symbol (almost
seeming to be in the shadows since i can't make out any other
parts of the tuxedo other than the bow tie and the buttons)
offers vulnerability and honesty within what could possibly be
seen as a rain of rage. i also find it interesting how when
compared to the actual cover, the heart glows similarly to how
the eyeball glows, minus the dripping. the Oslo cover seems to
have the demon with this symbol of honesty and vulnerability
protruding out from its head with a look of... disgust or fear
on its face. i find it interesting because of how the other
images included with Demonic! have the demon looking quite smug
as he sticks his tongue out and torments Mr and Ms. Wonderful.
there's a certain contrast there.
perhaps the message is that the demon only fears honesty and
vulnerability? the whole album AND the show seem to imply that
it feeds off of submission, fear, confusion and hatred. it would
appear, as with Neediness in the show, that the demon is not
something that one can make peace with through direct and almost
loving confrontation. the demon shies away, not so fond of Mr.
Wonderful's begging and pleading. there is a genuine need there
and the demon is frightened, confused and quite honestly
disgusted by it... so perhaps the demon is incapable to being
dealt with through friendlier means, and is not really affected
by such deeply human needs. seeing as Neediness is right before
Demons Dance Alone on the live setlist, there could be some
degree of learning that occurs there- that the demon cannot be
handled with kindness, that it cannot be communicated with
unless you speak in its language, and that most of all... it
cannot be attacked alone.
the changing of the order of songs from the album to the live
show really say that there is a different story in there, to me.
the album has a story of complete and total submission, really
without a fight (or if there is one, the aggression is not going
where it needs to go. it is directed at the grounds on which the
demon stands, and as i see it, possibly came from. the emotions
that allow the demon to exist and form are not what truly need
to be attacked.. or something.) but the show seems to have a
story that there IS a fight there, and it is an odd sort of
battle where they must take what the demon used against them and
do that thing better- and beat it at its own game.
hmm.. weird stuff
#Post#: 96--------------------------------------------------
Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
By: eggoddleo Date: October 28, 2016, 2:09 pm
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more of a lyrical interpretation but has anyone else noticed how
the title track sums up the album in hindsight?
"you can know a needle's eye
or a hungry baby's cry
[...]
silver linings came and went
when I was an innocent"
wealth, child rearing, thundering skies, innocence; all themes
and topics of the album.
something to think about anyway.
#Post#: 103--------------------------------------------------
Re: DDA Album Cover Interpretations
By: moleshow Date: October 29, 2016, 4:01 pm
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[quote author=eggoddleo link=topic=10.msg96#msg96
date=1477681779]
more of a lyrical interpretation but has anyone else noticed how
the title track sums up the album in hindsight?
"you can know a needle's eye
or a hungry baby's cry
[...]
silver linings came and went
when I was an innocent"
wealth, child rearing, thundering skies, innocence; all themes
and topics of the album.
something to think about anyway.
[/quote]
huh, weird! i'd never thought of it like that, but it really
makes sense. neato.
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