Of Montreal

of Montreal - l-r, Jason Nesmith, Nina Barnes, Kevin Barnes, Dottie Alexander, Bryan Poole, Jamey Huggins.

Of Montreal are an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia.

Of Montreal were among the second wave of groups to emerge from the Elephant 6 Collective. Created by Kevin Barnes after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal, the group is typical of many Elephant 6 bands due to its interests in combining musical experimentation and the basic tenets of pop (ie. catchy melodies and sing along choruses). The band's style has been influenced by not only more conventional indie pop and neo-psychedelia, but, on their earlier releases, vaudeville and music hall, before moving on to a style that was far more influenced by electronica on their most recent albums.

Style

The band's style has been known to change very much between albums. At first, the band embraced a more simple, quirky lo-fi indie pop sound, which occasionally bordered on twee. As time passed, the band moved to a more grandiose sound, as seen on the grand conceptual The Gay Parade, and its even more ambitious followup, Coquelicot Asleep In the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. These albums contain more narrative lyrics, as opposed to the rather personal lyrical matter of those preceding it, and the change in style reflects this - the albums imitating (in some cases, very literally), the style of old 1950's radio plays. However, 2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic saw an abrupt change in style - their sound shifted to something far more electronic, in particular influenced by bands such as Duran Duran and The Human League, though the songs were clearly of Montreal's - they retained the element that runs through all of the band's works - the quirky whimsicality of Barnes' songwriting.

In regard to lyrics, many songs recount a small narrative surrounding an invented character (eg. "Jacques Lamure" and "The Autobiographical Grandpa" from The Gay Parade; "Mimi Merlot" and "Rose Robert" from Coquelicot). Others are apparent extracts from fictional conversations (eg. "Advice From a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriage" from The Gay Parade and "Good Morning Mr. Edminton" from Coquelicot which follows an unnamed hero's plan to release two kidnapped men being held for ransom on the condition they give him a job). However, this distinct feature is not as prevalent in their earliest and most recent albums. Another notable quality of the band is the occasional fusion of ostensibly gloomy lyrics with bouncy, up beat melodies and hooks. On Aldhils Arboretum, the lyrics for tracks like "Doing Nothing" and "Old People in the Cemetery" focus on apathy, loneliness or death while being contrasted with cheerful, whimsical instrumentals. Another example of this tendency is shown in their choice of covers; for example, Yoko Ono's "I Felt Like Smashing my Head Through a Clear Glass Window" from The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower.

Discography

External links

Style

Discography

Albums

Compilations

E.P.s

Singles/Songles

External links