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.
For Our Elegant Caste
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know I take it both ways
We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know that I go both ways
Georgie said romantic love is flat
(Georgie said that)
Only for people with no real ambition in
Their lives (no lives)
But ooh, why does Christie disagree
She sees into the core of my poor machine
Ill tell you what she sees
Frightened cornered Gemini tactics and
In attempts to crack the party code
And there's one more thing
[Chorus: x2]
Our bodies became what has been him
So really turned off
Became a freaky permutation
Something like Voltron
Then I was wrapped in discourse with the magazine reader
The mutual conclusion was
I'm not worth knowing because I'm probably dead
So I'm exposed but no solution
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics of For Our Elegant Caste by of Montreal are complex and open to interpretation, but at its core, it seems to be a commentary on societal expectations of love and relationships. The chorus repeats the phrase "we can do it soft-core if you want, but you should know I take it both ways," suggesting a willingness to engage in both romantic and sexual relationships regardless of societal norms or expectations. This subversion of expectations is mirrored in the verse that follows, where Georgie's assertion that romantic love is flat and only for people with no real ambition is challenged by Christie's ability to see beyond surface-level judgments and into the core of the singer's being.
The second verse introduces the idea of bodies becoming something else entirely, perhaps reflecting the transformative and multifaceted nature of relationships. The line "something like Voltron" suggests the building of a greater whole from disparate parts, while the discourse with the magazine reader implies an interrogation of the singer's worth and significance. In this way, the song explores the idea of identity and belonging, with the singer grappling with the question of whether or not they are "worth knowing."
Overall, For Our Elegant Caste is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of love, identity, and societal expectations. It challenges the listener to consider their own assumptions about relationships and what it means to be "worth knowing."
Line by Line Meaning
We can do it soft-core if you want
We can engage in sexual activity that is not too intense, if that is your preference
But you should know I take it both ways
But it is important to understand that I am bisexual
Georgie said romantic love is flat
Georgie believes that only people without ambition would believe in the idea of romantic love
(Georgie said that)
It is important to note that this statement is coming from Georgie
Only for people with no real ambition in their lives (no lives)
According to Georgie, only those lacking purpose in their lives would believe in romantic love
But ooh, why does Christie disagree
However, Christie disagrees with Georgie's opinion
She sees into the core of my poor machine
Christie understands the essence of who I am
Ill tell you what she sees
I will now disclose what Christie has observed about me
Frightened cornered Gemini tactics and in attempts to crack the party code
Christie has noticed my attempts to overcome social anxiety and feel comfortable in social situations
And there's one more thing
Additionally, there is another issue to consider
Our bodies became what has been him
Through sexual activity, our bodies have merged together in a way that feels like a transformation
So really turned off became a freaky permutation something like Voltron
This transformation was bizarre and unexpected, like a sci-fi robot combination
Then I was wrapped in discourse with the magazine reader
I found myself in a conversation with someone who reads magazines
The mutual conclusion was I'm not worth knowing because I'm probably dead
Unfortunately, the conclusion of that conversation was that I am not a person worth knowing or getting to know
So I'm exposed but no solution
I feel vulnerable and unsure of how to address this feeling of social rejection
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@justsomeautisticwoman6202
(Lyrics) We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know I take it both ways
We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know that I go both ways
Georgie said romantic love is flat
(Georgie said that)
Only for people with no real ambition in
Their lives (no lives)
But ooh, why does Christie disagree
She sees into the core of my poor machine
Ill tell you what she sees
Frightened cornered Gemini tactics and
In attempts to crack the party code
And there's one more thing
Our bodies became what has been him
So really turned off
Became a freaky permutation
Something like Voltron
Then I was wrapped in discourse with the magazine reader
The mutual conclusion was
I'm not worth knowing because I'm probably dead
So I'm exposed but no solution
@AnahetaG
I really dont understand why Of Montreal doesn't have more recognition. Their music contains depth as well as a great sound. His voice is super unique!! :D
@cjwynes
This is one of the best of their new stuff. All I can say about their latest album is that Barnes really must have spent a LOT of time listening to early-to-mid-80's Prince lately, lol.
@caskettheclown
wow i love this song. its just refreshing from the usual metal ive been listening to i has a broad range of taste in music
@EmoteRanger
I couldn't stop grinning throughout this entire song.
@cutestlittlemonkey
i love this song! it has a good beat
@GG57
Wish there more Bi's in music and ones this bold and out and who made music this good!
@zefluke
I'm very glad this song is on here. My friend Dan and I work together at a burger place on the river and we both really like Of Montreal, but he confessed to me that the other day when our boss walked in while this song was playing in the kitchen and asked what the hell it was, Dan just said, "I don't know, it's Kelsey's weird crap..."
@justsomeautisticwoman6202
(Lyrics) We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know I take it both ways
We can do it soft-core if you want
But you should know that I go both ways
Georgie said romantic love is flat
(Georgie said that)
Only for people with no real ambition in
Their lives (no lives)
But ooh, why does Christie disagree
She sees into the core of my poor machine
Ill tell you what she sees
Frightened cornered Gemini tactics and
In attempts to crack the party code
And there's one more thing
Our bodies became what has been him
So really turned off
Became a freaky permutation
Something like Voltron
Then I was wrapped in discourse with the magazine reader
The mutual conclusion was
I'm not worth knowing because I'm probably dead
So I'm exposed but no solution
@justsomeautisticwoman6202
Man I love this song
@fictivevein
I'm going to see them in athens hopefully I'll catch both shows!!!!!!