The Sunlandic Twins

Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (1022 ratings)
The Sunlandic Twins album cover
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 17   Total Length: 54:35

eMusic Review 0

Avatar Image
Daphne Carr

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Psych-pop masters get their groove on.
Label: Polyvinyl Records

Coming off their highly praised seventh album, the 2004 psych-pop masterpiece Satanic Panic in the Attic, Of Montreal was confronted with a (not unwelcome) problem: how to follow-up? The surprising solution: synths and cheeky dance smarts. Unapologetic Elephant 6 harmonies and kooky conceptualism remain, but The Sunlandic Twins is less Brian Wilson, more Afrobeat boogie and Can propulsion smacked wacky by a post-Eno David Byrne. "The Party's Crashing Us" is the essence of this: leader Kevin Barnes 'too-smart-for-pop verbosity turns sincere for love while a dozen disco melodies vie for space around the bass. They all end up winning.

Write a Review 30 Member Reviews

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

Love this album

rickward

This is one of my favorite albums to listen to straight through. This disc stayed in my car for MONTHS.

user avatar

Love em or hate em

Tebi

Some people think they are a little too theatrical. I happen to love it, for the same reason I love things like Belle and Sebastian. Try Forecast Fascist Future and the Party's Crashing Us.

user avatar

just not for me.

UrbanGardenerSLC

I sometimes enjoy them, but oftentimes not. I love unusual music, but there's something I just can't get in to here.

user avatar

The Beatles of the 00's

SpykeDaddy

While these guys can be all over the place, so many of these songs are Beatles songs. Yes, they are that brilliant. Try "Requiem..." or "Wraith Pinned..." or "I Was a Landscape..." and hold onto your jaw. It will drop.

user avatar

not for me

EMUSIC-00B1D9F9

these guys have an awesome cover of "Moonage Daydream" on youtube, but i can't listen to this stuff. The lyrics are like carefully sharpened spikes of vapidity into my brain.

user avatar

The Sunlandic Twins

EMUSIC-01E6B5E8

The Sunlandic Twins is phenomenal! I love Oslo in the Summertime for its musicality and for its humorous lyrics.

user avatar

Easily the best Of Montreal album

jaltcoh

Essential tracks are # 1-5, 7, 11, 13, 17. At that point, you might as well get the whole thing - 17 tracks for just 12 credits.

user avatar

the jump off

arpad

this is the of montreal album to get. each track feels like a tribute to a different classic prog band through the dance-pop filter of elephant six. the elo to the apples in stereo's beatles. this is that happy-with -sad-in-it that belle and sebastian do so well. summer bike rides. relax and enjoy.

user avatar

Interesting

nevestdreyfus

Reminiscent of Architecture In Helsinki.

user avatar

Summer tunes. Hot.

paultaylor_2009

If Of Montreal's albums were matched with the seasons 'The Sunlandic Twins' would have to be the summer album: the album art first suggests it (burning summer sun, the inevitable summer romance), but it is the music that ultimately confirms it through almost an hour of accessible, carefree pop. The album seems to be best appreciated poolside, half-conscious, bathing in its sonic presence, however, if you listen hard enough you may catch a delicious psychedelic adventure (Track 5), a song that sounds like it belongs in a really cool Outback Steakhouse commercial (track 3), a not so playful jab at academia (Art Snob Solutions), and even a guest appearance by Nina Barnes (Keep Sending me Black Fireworks). In conclusion, I recommend this for the casual indie fan, and deem it an absolute must for any Of Montreal fan! Enjoy!

Recommended Albums

eMusic Features

0

The 50 Greatest Summer Albums: 20-11

By The eMusic Community, eMusic Contributor

At the dawn of summer, we asked the eMusic community to come together to decide the best summer albums ever. What records are perfect for both easy livin 'and hard partying? When the mercury starts to climb, what is it that your ears ache to hear? People responded in a big way — subscribers, employees, writers, you name it — and, surprisingly, a very clear consensus emerged. The five albums that top this poll were… more »

0

Post-Breakup Dozen

By Kristina Feliciano, eMusic Contributor

With all due respect to Neil Sedaka, breaking up isn't just hard to do. It bites big ones. Even if you're the one who's ending things, it's still an emotionally exhausting process. Time was, you were happily making mix CDs for your loved one, every song an expression of your true affection, every tune aimed to inspire delight. And now, well, now you're the one who needs some good music — to get you through… more »

They Say All Music Guide

Kevin Barnes’ seventh Of Montreal album continues in his traditional vein of toying and teasing our memories of ’60s pop, fed through whichever other fad or fashion most appeals to him at the time. In this instance, it’s “21st century ADD electro-cinematic avant disco,” which is a deliciously protracted way of saying quirky rhythms, lush harmonics, and a warm spot on the same side of the bed that the Polyphonic Spree occasionally share. The most deceptive angle to the album probably has to do with the titles — it’s unlikely whether the most obtuse mind could ever imagine tapping its toes to something called “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games),” while “Forecast Fascist Future” simply shouldn’t sound like a British Beach Boys, pebble-dashed with Ray Davies’ finest harmonic daydreams, and then piped into a nursery where the infant Frank Zappa lays sleeping. Elsewhere, “Our Spring Is Sweet, Not Fleeting” may be little more than a minute long, but you live through great swathes of Rosemary’s Baby while it’s playing. To harp on about the “obvious” precedents that aging ears can pick out of Of Montreal’s sonic stew, however, is to overlook all that is so savagely entertaining about their music (plus, it makes them sound like a High Llamas tribute band, which is unfair as well). Rather, Sunlandic Twins is an album to leave playing while you’re going about your daily business. Then see how quickly you discover its 13 tracks burrowing so deeply into your skull that it’s as though you’d lived with its jerking, burbling, and never less than transcendental swirlings for ever. – Dave Thompson

more »

Activity

  • 05.25.12 Tickets for this year's @northsidefest can be found here: http://t.co/Wf3XX7Ov
  • 05.07.12 The @Polyvinyl dudes got a few more copies of our Songun Board Game in their online store. Check em out here: http://t.co/HXj1vgkD
  • 04.26.12 Our Songun board game is now avail through the @Polyvinyl online store here: http://t.co/HXj1vgkD (previously only avail through us on tour)
  • 04.24.12 Here's our new video for "Spiteful Intervention" (directed by @JesseEwles) - http://t.co/S7e6mjs3
  • 04.23.12 Listen to Kevin's “sexy and schizophrenic” Dinner Party Soundtrack here: http://t.co/IXBUBDw3 @dinnerpartydnld
  • 04.23.12 Here's a fun live clip on @NMEmagazine of "Forecast Fascist Future" from our show at The Metro in Chicago - http://t.co/DNnNW73U
  • 04.16.12 Our European tour starts tonight in Helsinki! Check out all the upcoming dates on our website here: http://t.co/oN8Ia9a1