Even though this odds and ends mix including Japanese bonus tracks and a few unreleased songs aren't quite as catchy as the recently produced material, this older, more obsolete style of what we know of as the young of Montreal is still just as impressively thought provoking as Mr. Barnes' newer songs. In addition, many of these tracks employ musical techniques which are seldom found in today's indie culture. Die hard Of Montreal fans may or may not be looking favorably on the band's new direction however with the recent re-release of almost all of the Of Montreal albums you are sure to find something which strikes your fancy.
My favorites from this album are #3, #9, and #13.
Whether it's on account of creativity bursting at the seams, or just a desire to try something musically or lyrically different from their previous work, sometimes artists feel the need to step outside themselves and create an entirely new persona. The syndrome that's kept psychologists busy for years has manifested itself in concept albums, live performances or just the occasional one-off single.
Inspired by Nicki Minaj's sophomore album Roman Reloaded — where Minaj channels her rage… more »
OK! Are you guys ready to get bummed out? Because it's the week before Valentine's Day and, man, do we have some sad records for you. I mean, sad even for indie rock, which has sad basically branded into its DNA. So if you're ready to be heartbroken, let's get going.
Sharon Van Etten, Tramp: Basically, the only record you need today. A great leap forward from her previous, folky outings, Tramp finds Van Etten falling… more »
Whether cavorting around the stage in ballet tights or turning his psyche onto skewed, Technicolor pop songs, Of Montreal main man Kevin Barnes puts so much of himself on display that it almost seems impolite to look. For over 15 years he's commandeered his continuously mutating studio project and live band, while simultaneously exploring his own multiple personalities, sexualities and spiritualities.
Invigorating the psychedelic soul of 2008's Skeletal Lamping and 2010's False Priest with free jazz… more »
Whether your tastes skew toward classics by The Smiths and Wilco or current cutting edge tastemakers like Sleigh Bells and Neon Indian, you're sure to discover something you love on Indie Hits, Past & Present. more »
Right - the Prince stuff. Let's start there. "Our Riotous Defects," track two of False Priest, Kevin Barnes's 11th album either with or as Of Montreal, channels Prince in a way that's even more direct than usual. Over the last few Of Montreal albums, Barnes hasn't been shy about his desire to come as close as possible to that sound and standard while still remaining his weirdo, hyperkinetic, Athens, Georgia-bred indie-pop self. But he's seldom… more »
It used to be easier to pretend that an album was its own perfectly self-contained artifact. The great records certainly feel that way. But albums are more permeable than solid, their motivations, executions and inspirations informed by, and often stolen from, their peers and forbearers. It all sounds awfully formal, but it's not. It's the very nature of music — of art, even. The Six Degrees features examine the relationships between classic records and five… more »
Ronald Thomas Clontle is the author of Rock, Rot & Rule, a controversial music reference book that purports to be "the ultimate argument settler" when it comes to rating an artist's worth. In the book, the uncompromising Clontle ranks thousands of artists under the three headings listed in the book's title (rock = good, rot = bad, rule = great), based on various stringent criteria and extensive surveys. With the newly updated 2007 edition of… more »
Where previous Of Montreal records evoked children’s picture books in their grand narrative scope, off-the-wall characters, and candy-colored hues, Horse & Elephant Eatery (No Elephants Allowed) — a compilation of “singles and songles” (i.e., material previously released in a variety of non-album formats) — is more akin to a schoolboy’s collage assembled from cut-out photos, construction paper, and paste, a composite of random ideas and far-flung images that together form a charmingly chaotic whole. While the disc of course lacks the thematic unity common to the group’s previous conceptual efforts, the songs nevertheless hang together on the strength of their shared warmth and effervescence — perhaps no other contemporary group makes pop music so utterly guileless and unashamedly rapturous, articulating an innocence remarkably free of irony and calculation. Much of Horse & Elephant Eatery recalls the carnival-esque character studies of its brilliant predecessor The Gay Parade — repaying his obvious debt to Ray Davies with a fine cover of the Kinks’ “The World Keeps Going ‘Round,” Of Montreal mastermind Kevin Barnes strikes a perfect balance between fairy-tale whimsy and slice-of-life reality on moments like “The Problem With April,” “Nicki Lighthouse,” and “Ira’s Brief Life As a Spider,” creating a kaleidoscopic fantasy world even as his songs capture moments of heartbreakingly human poignance. Silly, sappy, and sentimental, to be sure, Horse & Elephant Eatery is just as often sublime. – Jason Ankeny
