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.
Don't Ask Me To
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you're hiding who you are?
Don't ask me to explain.
Who are you hiding you from,
Across the table with a penny in each eye?
Don't ask me to explain.
I'd like to marry all of my close friends,
Am I the devil's marbles don't move on without me
Who will be watching my body when I sleep?
Who will I believe in?
How am I supposed to let it show when I don't even know?
Don't ask me to explain.
Besides, I don't want to be the one whose coming out first,
I'd really like to but I'm just too shy.
Don't ask me to explain.
I'd want to marry all of my close friends,
And live in a big house together by an angry sea.
Am I the devil's marbles don't move on without me
Who will be watching my body when I sleep?
Who will I believe in?
It's so easy to lie to myself
And pretend that I could love you but I can't
The lyrics of "Don't Ask Me To" by of Montreal convey the struggle of opening up to someone and being vulnerable. The opening lines "How will I ever know you enough to love you / If you're hiding who you are?" speak to the difficulty of truly getting to know someone who is not comfortable sharing their true self. It can create a barrier in forming a deeper connection or love.
The chorus speaks to the desire for closeness and intimacy with others, particularly friends. The desire to "marry all of my close friends" and live together, suggests a community and bond that goes beyond just friendship. However, there is a fear of being the first one to open up and "come out" about these desires. The line "Besides, I don't want to be the one whose coming out first, / I'd really like to but I'm just too shy" speaks to the insecurity and hesitancy in being vulnerable and honest about one's desires.
The bridge questions the reliability of others when it comes to trust and belief. "Who will be watching my body when I sleep? / Who will I believe in?" suggests a lack of trust in others, perhaps due to past experiences or a fear of vulnerability.
Overall, the song highlights the struggle of opening up and being vulnerable with others, particularly in regards to intimate relationships and desires. It speaks to the importance of authenticity and true connection in forming meaningful relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
How will I ever know you enough to love you
If you're hiding who you are?
How can I possibly love you, if you keep hiding your true self from me?
Don't ask me to explain.
Don't expect me to give you an answer or justification for your secretive behavior.
Who are you hiding you from,
Across the table with a penny in each eye?
Why are you concealing yourself, even when we are sitting face to face?
I'd like to marry all of my close friends,
And live in a big house together by an angry sea.
Am I the devil's marbles don't move on without me
Who will be watching my body when I sleep?
Who will I believe in?
The artist desires to live in a communal setting with friends but is plagued by existential doubts about the meaning of life and the afterlife.
How am I supposed to let it show when I don't even know?
Don't ask me to explain.
The artist is struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality and cannot reveal themselves to others, let alone understand it themselves.
Besides, I don't want to be the one whose coming out first,
I'd really like to but I'm just too shy.
Don't ask me to explain.
The singer wishes to reveal their true self but is afraid of being the first one to do so, and cannot explain why.
It's so easy to lie to myself
And pretend that I could love you but I can't
The singer is acknowledging their inability to love the other person fully, because of their own personal struggles with identity and honesty.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alinealves9779
[Verse 1]
How will I ever know you enough to love you
If you're hiding who you are?
Don't ask me to explain, don't ask me to explain
Who are you hiding you from
Across the table with a penny in each eye?
Don't ask me to explain, don't ask me to explain
[Chorus]
I'd like to marry all of my close friends
And live in a big house together by an angry sea
Am I the devil's marbles don't move on without me
Who will be watching my body when I sleep?
Who will I believe in?
[Intro]
Woo, woo, woo, woo
[Verse 2]
How am I supposed to let it show
When I don't even know?
Don't ask me to explain, don't ask me to explain
Besides, I don't want to be the one whose coming out first
I'd really like to but I'm just too shy
Don't ask me to explain, don't ask me to explain
[Chorus]
I'd like to marry all of my close friends
And live in a big house together by an angry sea
Am I the devil's marbles don't move on without me
Who will be watching my body when I sleep?
Who will I believe in?
[Intro]
Woo, woo, woo, woo
[Bridge]
It's so easy to laugh to myself
And pretend that I could love you but I can't
@name4906
My list would probably be something like
-Cherry Peel
-4 Track
-Satanic Panic
-Hissing Fauna
-Sunlandic Twins
Cherry Peel is definitely a classic:)
Though for some tracks I prefer the demo versions from ‘Pre Cherry Peel Demo’, which I recommend to anyone here who hasn’t heard it yet:)
@pearlyp9898
God, I'm literally crying... just been trying to find songs about platonic love (which is difficult, btw), this one hits particularly hard. I can't explain myself. I'd like to, but I can't, not for now. All I know is that the thought of living with my friends, instead of any romantic partner, makes my heart feel alive, yet ache in a strange way, all at once. I want it. I want it so bad, this specific vision in my head. But I don't think the people in my life would understand.
@jams7811
This comment is a few years old, how are you with this struggle now?
@pearlyp9898
@@jams7811Sorry for the very late reply!! But I'm doing so much better now :) I'm very happy with my identity as an aromantic person now - so happy, and in part I owe that to this song, that made me realize it. It's a label that brings me a lot of comfort, and now I've got many close friends who accept me as well. The future is still very undecided, as to who I will actually end up living with, if with anyone at all - but I know no matter with, I will be okay. I've got people who love me, after all, platonically, and that's the most important thing to me.
Thank you for caring <3
@mints4997
@@pearlyp9898 you are sad and little
@Reeve9207
"I'd like to marry all of my close friends, live in a big house together by an angry sea." I love that lyric... for me, I'd say it's true. Wouldn't it be nice? Live with all of your closest friends, just enjoy live as it passes by. Never be lonely again, and never really be down- and if you are, your friends are there to come home to. <3
@spockezri
oh i agree, i've thought about that lyric constantly since hearing this song for the first time, i love it so much <3
@anothercarttogo1819
I'm gonna come out and say it: I'm aro and I'm proud. I find this aspect of my queerness very beautiful. Of course like any other queer identity, it comes with internalization and rough edges (** cough cough ** internalized arophobia). This song perfectly captures how I feel in where I dream my future self being. It's not that I want to marry all of my very close friends, but living in a house with them all and being surrounded in that love, knowing that I wouldn't have to be expected to do nor feel anything, that I can't otherwise do or feel. Being close with those I may or may not have meshes on (an alterous attraction form of a crush) would be beautiful, something that I dream of, yet wouldn't be understood by my friends who are all mostly alloromantic (this term meaning when you're not aro/aro-spec in any means). And besides, it's always expected that you must feel some kind of strong emotion towards a specific person, or persons, to feel the want to live with them; but that's simply not the case with me. Even if I didn't have a mesh or strong platonic attraction towards any of my friends, I deserve to be happy in a way that would make me happy!
@ColterHarris
Sometimes you hear those songs that get everything perfectly. This is one of them.
@person26dx
They sounded so much better with guitars! I love literally everything about this song...
@blackgoldism
The sound is so raw and amazing. love this song.