Still
incredibly quirky and erratic, Of Montreal’s 13th main release
has unveiled its new maturity. The group has come a long way from
their Beatles-inspired ballads of “Cherry Peel” and “The
Gay Parade.”
Eccentricity will always be the hallmark of the crowded and chaotic
mind of Kevin Barnes, creator and front man for Of Montreal.
From
L-R are members of the band Of Montreal: Jamey Huggins, Jason Nesmith,
Matt Dawson, Bryan Poole, Dottie Alexander, Kevin Barnes. The band
derived its name from a failed romance Barnes had with a woman from
Montreal. The groups new album is Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
In
this album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? he oddly, yet precisely
paired optimistic pop songs with more lonely and dejected writing.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing to lyrics like,
“I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while
in living in Norway.”
The album “stems” from Kevin Barne’s (now reconciled)
separation from his wife. While completely exhilarating, the writing
reveals a man in the middle of the wide-spectrum of emotion that is
heartbreak. He writes about the inevitable search for distraction
in his cartoon, chemical doused, 60’s pop, party scene, turning
to religion, promiscuity, and fantasy violence.
This is definitely no ordinary, brooding, breakup album. There aren’t
any acoustic pity fests or angry “I’m-better-off-without-you”
anthems.
Instead, Of Montreal uses psychedelic hooks, dance riffs, and brutal,
sometimes humiliating honesty to portray the most common of all personal
crises.
Song lengths range from one minute to 12, and are brilliantly different,
yet linear.
“Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” is a somewhat disco,
roller-rink inspired song that pictures Barnes waltzing through blue
lit clubs rejecting the advances of those without “soul power.”
The centerpiece is unmistakably the epically tense “The Past
is a Grotesque Animal.” This song perfectly displays the genius
in Of Montreal.
It hovers on the same four chords, but intricately builds up pressure
with weaving guitars, synthesizers and harmonies, crawling to a despondent
revelation without dropping the hypnotic effect.
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is a great album to get lost
in and the kind that you can replay endlessly.
