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.
Climb the Ladder
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Climb the ladder
When there are ghosts in my coat
And everything is askew
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Climb the ladder to you
All of these faces are crowding around me
With mouths open wide to devour
But they have no impact, no I do not cower
Knowing I'm safe in your tower
When my pencil tip's broken and my brain is too
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Climb the ladder
When I feel like an oar in a sunken canoe
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Climb the ladder to you
All of these faces are crowding around me
Like grey paint caked on a flower
But they have no impact, no value, no power
Knowing I'm safe in your tower
The lyrics to "Climb the Ladder" by of Montreal seem to be about seeking refuge from the chaos and confusion of life in someone else. The ladder in the song seems to signify a way of escape from whatever troubles the singer is facing. The first verse mentions being caught in a net and having no clues, but climbing the ladder to the person they are addressing will solve the problem. The second verse mentions ghosts in the coat and things being askew, but the solution is the same. The third and fourth verses use metaphors of a broken pencil and a sunken canoe, respectively, to describe feeling trapped and helpless, but once again, the answer is to climb the ladder.
The chorus - "All of these faces are crowding around me/With mouths open wide to devour/But they have no impact, no I do not cower/Knowing I'm safe in your tower" - continues with the idea that the world is full of threats, but this person is a safe haven. The use of the word "tower" further emphasizes the idea of safety, as towers are structures meant to protect and defend.
Overall, the song seems to be a reminder that no matter how overwhelming life can be, there is always someone to turn to for safety and comfort. The ladder represents a way out of whatever troubles the singer is facing.
Line by Line Meaning
When I'm caught in a net and I haven't a clue
When I feel trapped and lost
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Turning to someone they trust for guidance
Climb the ladder
Repeating the key solution
When there are ghosts in my coat
When they are plagued by haunting thoughts
And everything is askew
And everything is out of place
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Returning to the person they trust to ground themselves
Climb the ladder to you
Repeating the key solution
All of these faces are crowding around me
Feeling overwhelmed by others
With mouths open wide to devour
With others wanting to consume their energy or attention
But they have no impact, no I do not cower
Acknowledging their ability to stand their ground
Knowing I'm safe in your tower
Feeling secure with their trusted confidant
When my pencil tip's broken and my brain is too
When they are experiencing creative or mental blocks
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Relying on their trusted friend for inspiration and support
Climb the ladder
Repeating the key solution
When I feel like an oar in a sunken canoe
Feeling helpless in a difficult situation
All I've got to do is climb the ladder to you
Seeking comfort and support from their trusted confidant
Climb the ladder to you
Repeating the key solution
All of these faces are crowding around me
Feeling overwhelmed by others
Like grey paint caked on a flower
Like something that is detracting from their beauty or purpose
But they have no impact, no value, no power
Feeling unaffected by others' negative impact
Knowing I'm safe in your tower
Finding safety and security in their trusted confidant
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind