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.
Erroneous Escape Into Eric Eckles
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
is cursing like an evil sailor
But remember the knife is worse
for the editors of movie trailers
And if you want me to
I'll help it's all the same to me
just tell me if you want me to
If you keep killing God in your eye
people will think you're really callous
But no matter how hard you try
you'll never be as weird as Uncle Alice
And if you want me to
I'll help it's all the same to me
just tell me if you want me to
I'm not upset just confused and it's so tough
I can't relate to this world I'm not bored enough
Watch out the music will complete the change in you
To sing this song in braille
you have to be haunted by glass freckles
And if your color treatment fails
well you can always talk to Erik Eckles
The lyrics of "Erroneous Escape Into Eric Eckles" by of Montreal are obscure and surreal, filled with playful imagery and absurd juxtapositions. The first verse brings together unexpected elements of an octopus in a purse and cursing like an evil sailor, as well as a knife that could be worse than the curse. The second verse explores the idea of killing God in one's eye, which could make a person appear callous, but not as weird as Uncle Alice. These disjointed images and ideas seem to reflect a sense of confusion and disorientation in the singer's perspective, as they struggle to relate to the world around them.
Despite the disconnection and seeming randomness of the lyrics, there is a sense of yearning for connection and understanding in the repeated offer of help ("If you want me to, I'll help, it's all the same to me, just tell me if you want me to"). The final line of the song, "To sing this song in braille, you have to be haunted by glass freckles, and if your color treatment fails, well, you can always talk to Erik Eckles," adds a final layer of cryptic complexity, suggesting that the song is not just an expression of the singer's internal struggles but also a commentary on the difficulties of communication and perception more broadly.
Overall, "Erroneous Escape Into Eric Eckles" is a complex and captivating song that rewards multiple listens and interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
The octopus in your purse
The strange and bizarre things you carry with you are causing curses and negativity.
is cursing like an evil sailor
The contents of your purse are behaving in unexpected, aggressive ways.
But remember the knife is worse
Despite the oddities in your purse, there are far more dangerous things in life to be wary of.
for the editors of movie trailers
Even editors of movies, who are conditioned to handle anything, are no match for the unpredictable nature of life.
And if you want me to
If you need help, I am available to assist you anytime.
I'll help it's all the same to me
I am happy to help, as it doesn't affect me either way.
just tell me if you want me to
Simply communicate your needs and I am ready to assist in any way possible.
If you keep killing God in your eye
Maintaining a pessimistic view of the world can lead to alienation and belief that you are devoid of any goodness or hope.
people will think you're really callous
Others may interpret your attitude towards the world as cold and indifferent, which could be detrimental to your relationships.
But no matter how hard you try
Even if you consciously attempt to be a strange or unusual person, somebody else will likely be weirder.
you'll never be as weird as Uncle Alice
No matter how unconventional or eccentric you are, there's always someone you know who is even more unique.
I'm not upset just confused and it's so tough
Although I am not necessarily unhappy with my current life, I feel perplexed by it and unsure of how to move forward.
I can't relate to this world I'm not bored enough
Despite being interested in a variety of things, I struggle to fully engage with the world due to a general sense of disinterest and apathy.
Watch out the music will complete the change in you
Beware the power of music, as it can have transformative capabilities on your identity and worldview.
To sing this song in braille
In order to fully grasp and understand this song, you must be able to perceive it through alternative senses, such as touch (in this case braille).
you have to be haunted by glass freckles
To fully appreciate and comprehend the nuances of the song, one must be haunted and tormented by something truly unique and unusual.
And if your color treatment fails
When your usual methods fail you, it's important to remain creative and find new ways to approach things.
well you can always talk to Erik Eckles
When all else fails, consulting an outsider with a different perspective can sometimes provide helpful insights and solutions.
Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.