They were among the second wave of groups to emerge from The Elephant 6 Recording Company and the group has a style that is typical of many Elephant 6 bands due to their interest in combining musical experimentation with the basic tenets of pop i.e. catchy melodies and sing-along choruses. The band’s style has been influenced by conventional indie pop, psychedelic music, vaudeville and music hall on their earlier releases and by afrobeat, funk, krautrock and reggae on their recent releases.
The band’s style has been known to change between albums. At first, the band embraced a more simple, quirky, lo-fi indie pop sound, which occasionally bordered on twee pop. The band was created by Kevin Barnes and named after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal, though the story changes in various interviews. Barnes was the only member of the “group” prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead, later of Circulatory System, M Coast, Elf Power etc., and Bryan Poole, who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium.
Together, they recorded their first album, Cherry Peel, as well as The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.
A number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower occurred before the release of the band’s third album, The Gay Parade in 1999. With contributions from several members of the Elephant Six collective at the time, it also featured artwork from Kevin’s brother David Barnes, who would continue to do artwork for future albums.
This album marked that the band had moved to a fuller sound, which is also found on its follow-up, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. These two albums contain more narrative lyrics, as opposed to the rather personal lyrical matter of those preceding it, and often imitating the style of old 1950s radio plays.
After production on The Gay Parade began in 1998, Poole left the band to focus on his duties with Elf Power, another Elephant Six band from Athens. Barnes also recruited Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had been performing together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly, to play various instruments. Derek moved from drums to bass. The band was joined soon after by Marshmallow Coast’s Andy Gonzales.
Following the release of The Gay Parade, the band signed with Kindercore Records, who would release a number of singles and compilations. It wasn’t until 2001 that Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse would be released as a new album with original material. The album again featured contributions from across the Elephant 6 spectrum.
In 2002, Aldhils Arboretum was released, with a slightly different sound than its predecessors, as the songs were more directly structured. This album marks the beginning of the change in of Montreal’s sound, with more danceable rhythms than ever before, especially on the album’s closer, “Death Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For You”. A successful tour ensued, including of Montreal’s first trip to the UK, along with a tour-only EP.
Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and of Montreal’s status was also threatened. Kevin got married, and Andy and Derek left the band. Barnes, being uncomfortable with the unrest, as well as some divisions within the band, took to writing and performing their 2004 album Satanic Panic in the Attic mostly by himself. Released by Polyvinyl Records, it became one of their more successful efforts to that point. The 2004 tour saw The Late B.P. Helium (Bryan Poole) rejoin the band, with some bass played by Kevin’s partner Nina Barnes. The album marked a shift to something more electronic with traditional structures, to be further advanced in later albums and new songs. In their most recent releases and concerts, the band has fully embraced a sort of techno-pop glam image, with little of their previous incarnations surfacing. This style is featured in singles such as Disconnect the Dots. The style would continue to evolve into 2005’s The Sunlandic Twins, which was even more a Barnes solo effort. Recorded in Athens, with the exception of one track recorded in Norway, it was a much more pronounced electronic album. The album became a success, mostly due to the singles “So Begins Our Alabee” and the MTV clip for “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)”.
The band released several collections of singles in early 2006. Barnes recorded most of the band’s 2007 release, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, by himself while living in Norway and Athens, Georgia. The switch to autobiographical themes of suicide, depression and isolation of the album was a direct product of his troubled personal life during that period.
of Montreal released Skeletal Lamping on October 21, 2008 followed by False Priest on September 14, 2010, Paralytic Stalks on February 7, 2012, and Lousy with Sylvianbriar on October 8, 2013. Aureate Gloom is scheduled for release by Polyvinyl Records on March 3, 2015.
Lyrically, their style has changed dramatically throughout the years. In the beginning, many songs were narratives of personal or humorous situations, such as “Tim, I Wish You Were Born A Girl”, from Cherry Peel. This style, however, changed with The Gay Parade, where many songs involve small narratives surrounding invented characters (in songs such as “Jacques Lamure”, “The Autobiographical Grandpa”, “Mimi Merlot” and “Rose Robert”). Others act as extracts from fictional conversations (“Advice From a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriage” and “Good Morning Mr. Edminton” as examples). With Aldhils Arboretum came a slight return to the previous writing style, except following more poppy, classical lyrical structures (such as the use of choruses, which are generally absent in the Gay Parade/Coquelicot years). This style continued throughout Satanic Panic and The Sunlandic Twins to some extent. On the album Hissing Fauna: Are You The Destroyer? the lyrics are much more personal than previously used, with songs detailing emotions within the speaker.
Another unique quality of the band is the fusion of ostensibly gloomy lyrics with bouncy, upbeat melodies and hooks. On Aldhils Arboretum, for example, the lyrics for tracks like “Doing Nothing” and “Old People in the Cemetery” focus on apathy, loneliness or death while being contrasted with cheerful instrumentation. 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.
True to the style of most Elephant 6 recording artists, of Montreal’s members have been in a variety of side projects and other bands:
The band itself has performed as the backing band for Marshmallow Coast on record and on tour.
My First Keyboard was the pseudonym used by Dottie Alexander to release the song “The You I Created” on the Kindercore singles club. of Montreal acted as her backing band.
Advice from a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriage
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And be careful to avoid
Chocolate hearts
Keep distant from romantic notions
'Cause that's where love
Most often starts
Be sure to steer clear of diamonds
For if she goes in for that kind of thing
Just might fall then what you will do
You know you've always been the sort
Who's truly only fond of the sport
And who will never be satisfied
Reclining in slippers by the fireside
With a wife's constant nagging
For things that you can't provide
Who no longer bears resemblance
To that soft spoken flower
You were so desperate to have for your bride
Too much conversing with a woman
Tends to dull a man's wit
Never be taken in by poets
Who claim that love if it's pure will never fade
Though love may last all right in a bibliotheque
In the real world man its too easily unmade
So don't take your freedom for granted
Don't let curiosity take you for a ride
As years drag on when you wake up next to her
You'll wish that in your sleep you had died
You'll wish you had died
The lyrics to this song give advice to a bachelor friend who is considering marriage. The advice giver offers several cautionary tales about the dangers of love and romantic notions, warning his friend to avoid roses, chocolate hearts, diamonds, and mink coats, as these are all typical gifts associated with love and romance. The advice giver suggests that if his friend's future wife is into those types of things, there may be trouble ahead.
The advice giver goes on to warn his friend about the perils of marriage, cautioning him that he may find himself trapped in a nagging, unsatisfying relationship with a wife who bears no resemblance to the soft-spoken flower he once coveted. He also warns his friend to be wary of poets and their claims that love will never fade, suggesting that such notions are best left to the pages of a book rather than applied to real-life relationships. The song ends by warning the bachelor friend not to take his freedom for granted, as he may one day come to regret giving it up in exchange for a loveless marriage.
Line by Line Meaning
You should stay away from roses
Avoid traditional romantic gestures like giving roses.
And be careful to avoid
Take caution to stay away from anything that might give the impression of grand gestures of love.
Chocolate hearts
Avoid giving heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, another typical symbol of love.
Keep distant from romantic notions
Refrain from indulging in romantic thoughts or fantasies, as they are often fueled by love.
'Cause that's where love
Romantic ideas and gestures can ignite feelings of love.
Most often starts
These romantic notions are often where love begins.
Be sure to steer clear of diamonds
Avoid expensive jewelry as a means of wooing a woman.
And mink coats are most certainly out too
Avoid trying to impress a woman with luxurious fur clothing, like mink coats.
For if she goes in for that kind of thing
If she is attracted to material things, she may not truly love you for who you are.
Just might fall then what you will do
If you fall for her, you may be obligated to keep her satisfied with material possessions, leading you away from your true interests.
You know you've always been the sort
You have a specific personality type that makes you unsuitable for marriage.
Who's truly only fond of the sport
You are passionate about sports and other activities that a spouse may not be able to keep up with.
And who will never be satisfied
You are someone who cannot be content with just a marriage and family life.
Reclining in slippers by the fireside
Sitting idly and enjoying the comforts of home is not in your nature.
With a wife's constant nagging
Marriage may come with more problems than joy, such as a spouse who constantly complains.
For things that you can't provide
A spouse with expectations you cannot fulfill will only lead to problems.
Who no longer bears resemblance
A spouse will inevitably change with time, potentially losing the qualities you found attractive.
To that soft spoken flower
The idealized version of your spouse as a gentle and delicate flower will disappear with reality.
You were so desperate to have for your bride
Your eagerness to marry may have blinded you to the reality of the difficulties that come with it.
Too much conversing with a woman
Talking too much to a woman could dull your wit.
Tends to dull a man's wit
Excessive conversation with a woman could cause you to lose your sharpness and intelligence.
Never be taken in by poets
Do not believe the romantic stories or promises made by poets.
Who claim that love if it's pure will never fade
Poets often say that true love never fades, but this is not always the case.
Though love may last all right in a bibliotheque
Love stories may last forever in literature, but reality is different from fiction.
In the real world man its too easily unmade
In reality, love can be easily destroyed.
So don't take your freedom for granted
Do not give up your freedom and independence for a committed relationship without careful consideration and acceptance.
Don't let curiosity take you for a ride
Do not let curiosity or the desire to experiment dictate your choices in relationships.
As years drag on when you wake up next to her
Marriage can be challenging, especially as time goes on and the initial excitement fades.
You'll wish that in your sleep you had died
You may regret ever getting married and want to escape it at any cost.
You'll wish you had died
Marriage may become an unbearable trap that leaves you feeling desperate for a way out.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario Calabrese
I'm so gay for the gay parade
Kevtron9000
i so agree listened to this a million times. a true gem
Crystal Beth
You should stay away from roses
And be careful to avoid
chocolate hearts
Keep distant from romantic notions
Cause that's where love
most often starts
Be sure to steer clear of diamonds
And mink coats are most certainly out too
For if she goes in for that kind of thing
Just might fall then what you will do
You know you've always been the sort
Who's truly only fond of the sport
And who will never be satisfied
Reclining in slippers by the fireside
With a wife's constant nagging
for things that you can't provide
Who no longer bears resemblance
to that soft spoken flower
You were so desperate to have for your bride
Too much conversing with a woman
tends to dull a man's wit
Never be taken in by poets
Who claim that love if it's pure will never fade
Though love may last all right in a bibliotheque
In the real world man its too easily unmade
So don't take your freedom for granted
Don't let curiosity take you for a ride
As years drag on when you wake up next to her
You'll wish that in your sleep you had died
You'll wish you had died
Herudnoldan
One of my favorite songs ever
Dannae Cerda Rodríguez
amazing song
Will Baska
One person who isn't so happy with his marital status disliked this video.
Gal Beeri
amazing
unknowndoko
nice
Vaca Láctica
MGT0W as f**k.