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.
Happy
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all morning long, I flutter about in the swirling breeze
And the sun is yellow like me
I am a happy yellow bumble bee, everything's so much bigger than me
But I'm not afraid, for if something gets too close,
I give them a sting that makes them howl and scamper away
Because my parents are dead and
I can't find my brothers or sisters
At night the sky looks so black and I can't find the sun.
It doesn't matter how hard I try, but when I feel like I'm covered in darkness,
And that light won't touch me anymore
I hear the cardinals singing and I know who they're singing for when I see the sun
That makes me a happy yellow bumblebee,
All my friends are beetles and centipedes and all
Summer long we laugh and we play, but we don't talk to spiders
Because they're mean and they try to trick us,
Because they want to eat us
But they'll never beat us
The lyrics of the song Happy Yellow Bumblebee by of Montreal are a beautiful representation of the innocence and resilience of nature. The perspective of the song is that of a bumblebee, who despite being tiny and facing loneliness and the loss of family, still finds happiness and purpose in his existence. The yellow color of the bumblebee, which is also the color of the sun, is significant in portraying the optimism of the bumblebee's outlook towards life. The bumblebee's role as a pollinator that flutters around the flowers and trees also symbolizes the important role nature plays in sustaining life.
The second stanza of the song reveals the bumblebee's strength and bravery. Despite being small and vulnerable, the bumblebee is not afraid of anything and can defend himself if needed. However, the bumblebee is not entirely invincible as he still feels the pangs of loneliness and the loss of his family. The third stanza of the song beautifully depicts the bumblebee's relationship with the natural world around him. The bumblebee finds solace in the cardinal's singing, an animal in nature who is also associated with the color yellow, and seems to connect this song with the presence of the sun. This suggests that the bumblebee draws strength from the harmony and beauty of the natural world around it.
Overall, the happy yellow bumblebee is a representation of the strength and courage that can be found in vulnerability, as well as the beauty and interconnectedness of the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a happy yellow bumble bee, I fly around the flowers and trees
As a yellow bumblebee, I'm filled with joy as I explore and hover around lovely flowers and trees, basking in the goodness of nature.
And all morning long, I flutter about in the swirling breeze
I spend the hours of the morning flitting and flapping around the breeze, soaking up the freshness of the air as I go.
And the sun is yellow like me
The sun shares my bright, cheerful yellow color, a similarity which fills me with an extra sense of contentment and homecoming.
I am a happy yellow bumble bee, everything's so much bigger than me
Although everything around me is so much larger than I am, as a happy yellow bumblebee, I don't let that reality bring me down or intimidate me.
But I'm not afraid, for if something gets too close, I give them a sting that makes them howl and scamper away
I'm not afraid of any creature that might approach me, for I have a powerful defense of a sting that sends them running in pain and panic.
No I'm not afraid, though sometimes I get lonely
Even though I go through moments of loneliness, I don't let my emotions keep me from being brave and unafraid.
Because my parents are dead and I can't find my brothers or sisters
I suffer from the painful loss of my deceased parents and siblings, and the struggle to find other relatives to connect with.
At night the sky looks so black and I can't find the sun.
During the night, when the sky is shrouded in darkness, I'm unable to locate the sun, causing me a sense of disorientation and vulnerability.
It doesn't matter how hard I try, but when I feel like I'm covered in darkness,
I can't seem to shake off the oppressive feeling of being swallowed by the blackness of the sky, no matter how much I struggle to get away.
And that light won't touch me anymore
I start to feel uncertain and insecure that I'm losing touch with the warm, radiating touch of the sun, which was once a comforting constant in my life.
I hear the cardinals singing and I know who they're singing for when I see the sun
When I hear the melodious chirping of the cardinals and catch a glimpse of the returning sun, my heart fills with a sense of relief and joy.
That makes me a happy yellow bumblebee,
The overwhelming emotions of gratitude and delight make me unable to contain my happiness as a yellow bumblebee.
All my friends are beetles and centipedes and all
I enjoy the company and camaraderie of other insects, such as beetles and centipedes, while buzzing around during summer.
Summer long we laugh and we play, but we don't talk to spiders
Throughout the summer, my insect companions and I get entangled in games and mirthful conversations, but we try to avoid any interaction with spiders, who have proved to be untrustworthy and menacing.
Because they're mean and they try to trick us, because they want to eat us
Due to their malicious nature, spiders attempt to trick and consume us, which raises the alarm of mistrust and avoidance among my little insect community.
But they'll never beat us
Nevertheless, we refuse to give up or be defeated by our adversities and threats, determined to come out triumphant and thrive in our micro territory.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kim Sullivan
Love it! With a crew like that, no wonder I'm happy to be back in Montreal!!
Kristy Noel
LMAO This was amazing! Made me feel so... What's the word? Happy? haha. :)
Rickythestick
I'm so happy I have Sirius/XM