One of the strangest, most original, and longest-lasting American bands, the Residents started plying their idiosyncratic trade in the late '60s. From their San Francisco home base, these musical deconstructionists threw garage rock, R&B, country, jazz, the avant garde, lounge music, and (almost literally) the kitchen sink into their strange sonic blender and came out with a unique, quirky sound filled with humor and alternating between experimentalism and accessibility. Over the years, their methods and tools grew more sophisticated, as they utilized electronics to a greater extent. To further cement their weird image, the Residents never revealed their identities, wearing trademark eyeball masks beneath top hats when playing live. After decades of satirical strangeness they remain American originals.