Of Montreal
| of Montreal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Athens , United States |
| Genre (s) | Indie pop , indie rock |
| founding | 1997 |
| Website | www.ofmontreal.net |
| Current occupation | |
| Kevin Barnes | |
| Bryan Poole | |
| Dottie Alexander | |
| Jamey Huggins | |
| Davey Pierce | |
| former members | |
| Andy Gonzalez | |
| Derek Almstead | |
Electric bass |
Nina Barnes |
| Jason NeSmith | |
| Matt Dawson | |
of Montreal is an indie pop band from Athens, Georgia . She belongs to the second wave of bands from the Elephant 6 collective.
history
The band was founded by lead singer Kevin Barnes and named after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal . Barnes was the only member of the "group" before moving to Athens, Georgia. There he met Derek Almstead , who later became a member of Circulatory System , M Coast , Elf Power , and others. a. and Bryan Poole, who also goes under the name The Late BP Helium . Together they recorded their first album, Cherry Peel , as well as the EP The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower and the second album, The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy .
In 1998, after the production of their third album, The Gay Parade , began, Poole left the band to concentrate on his duties with Elf Power , another band from the Elephant Six collective. Barnes recruited Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander to play various instruments in the band and Derek switched from drums to bass. Shortly afterwards Andy Gonzales from Marshmallow Coast also joined the band.
The band released a number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower prior to their third album The Gay Parade in 1999. After the release of The Gay Parade , the band signed with Kindercore Records . In 2001, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse was the fourth album.
The fifth album, Aldhils Arboretum in 2002, was slightly different from its predecessors and featured more structured songs. This album marks a turning point in the music of Montreal towards more danceable rhythms. This was followed by a successful tour, including Montreal's first appearance in the UK.
Kindercore Records closed shortly thereafter and the future of Montreal was threatened. Kevin Barnes got married and Andy and Derek left the band. Barnes wrote and recorded most of her solo album, Satanic Panic in the Attic . Released in 2004 on Polyvinyl Records , it became one of their most successful albums by then. Bryan Poole rejoined the band for the tour and Kevin's wife Nina played bass.
This style persisted on their 2005 album The Sunlandic Twins , which was almost more of a solo performance by Barnes. In 2006 several collections of singles appeared.
Barnes recorded most of the 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? himself when he lived in Norway and Athens. The turn to autobiographical topics such as suicide, depression and isolation on the album are a direct product of his troubled life at this time. A companion EP, Icons, Abstract Thee was also released for this album .
style
The band has a style typical of many of the Elephant 6 bands. They combine musical experiments with the basics of pop music, such as catchy melodies and choruses to be sung along.
The style varies widely between albums. At the beginning of their career the band played a simple lo-fi Indian pop with similarities to twee pop . Over time, the band went to a fuller sound, as on the concept albums The Gay Parade and its successor Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse . These albums contain narrative lyrics, unlike the more personal lyrics of their predecessors.
The album Satanic Panic in the Attic marked the result of another fundamental change in style. The music now became more electronic , which continued on the following albums and was acknowledged, among other things, with the name techno-pop .
The content of the texts changed noticeably over the years. In the beginning, most of the songs were stories of personal or funny situations. That changed with The Gay Parade , where most of the songs included short stories that revolved around fictional characters. Aldhil's Arboretum marked a slight return to previous lyrics, but with relaxed, classic elements such as refrains, which were missing on the two albums before. This style was retained on the following albums, while the album Hissing Fauna: Are You the Destroyer? uses much more personal lyrics, the lines of which reflect the singer's emotions.
Another characteristic of the band is to combine apparently scary or sad lyrics with happy melodies, so that songs like Old People in the Cemetery , which deal with apathy , loneliness and death, are contrasted with happy music.
Discography
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Albums
- Cherry Peel - Bar / None Records - Jul 15, 1997
- The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy - Kindercore Records - 1998
- The Gay Parade - Kindercore Records - February 16, 1999
- Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse - Kindercore Records - April 23, 2001
- Aldhils Arboretum - Kindercore Records - September 24, 2002
- Satanic Panic in the Attic - polyvinyl - April 6, 2004
- The Sunlandic Twins - Polyvinyl - April 12, 2005
- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Polyvinyl - January 23, 2007
- Skeletal Lamping - Polyvinyl - October 31, 2008
- False Priest - polyvinyl - September 14, 2010
- Paralytic Stalks - Polyvinyl - February 7, 2012
- Lousy with Sylvianbriar - polyvinyl - October 8, 2013
- Innocence Reaches - Polyvinyl - August 12, 2016
- Ur Fun - Polyvinyl - January 17th, 2020
Compilations
- Horse & Elephant Eatery (No Elephants Allowed): The Singles and Songles Album (CD / LP) - Bar / None Records - 2000
- The Early Four Track Recordings (CD / LP) - Kindercore Records - 2001
- An Introduction to of Montreal (LP) - Earworm Records - 2001
- If He Is Protecting Our Nation, Then Who Will Protect Big Oil, Our Children? (CD) - Track & Field Organization - 2003
- The Gladiator Nightstick Collection (LP) - Devil in the Woods - 2004
- The Satanic Twins (Limited Edition LP / Digital release) - Polyvinyl - 2006
- Of Montreal Sampler (Free Promo CD) - Polyvinyl - 2006
EPs
- The Bird Who Ate the Rabbit's Flower (CD / LP) - Kindercore - 1997
- The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower (CD / LP) - Kindercore - 1998
- Deflated Chime, Foals Slightly Flower Sibylline Responses (CD) - Polyvinyl - 2006
- Icons, Abstract Thee (CD) - Polyvinyl, 2007
- Rune Husk (CD) - Sybaritic Peer, 2017
Singles
- Nicki Lighthouse (7 ") - 100 Guitar Mania - 1998
- Happy Happy Birthday to Me Singles Club: November (7 ") - Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records - 1999
- Archibald of the Balding Sparrows (7 ") - Kindercore - 2000 (Split with Marshmallow Coast)
- Kindercore Singles Club: September (7 ") Kindercore - 2001 (Split with Ladybug Transistor)
- Split with the Late BP Helium (7 ") - Jonathan Whiskey - 2001
- Jennifer Louise (7 ") - Track & Field Organization - 2003
- I Was a Landscape in Your Dream (7 ") - Harvest Time Recordings - 2004
- Microuniversity (7 ") - Park the Van Records - 2006
- Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da (7 ") - Suicide Squeeze Records - 2006
- She's a Rejecter (7 ") - Polyvinyl Records - 2006
- I'd Engager (7 ") - polyvinyl - 2008
Web links
- Official website (English)
- of Montreal at Elephant6 (English)
- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? for polyvinyl
- Of Montreal at laut.de