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.
Hegira émigré
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Having a white riot with no violence
Or protesting for change,
They simply buy it.
If you're think I'm Caucasian,
Well I'm actually gray.
I was conceived on Ash Wednesday
My baby's meditating to stop the war,
But I got myself a rifle
'Cause I ain't gonna get
Walked on anymore.
Out my window I see a battle of hawks.
My best friend has been dead for years,
But still we have great talks.
And just like the planets we will
Never touch, just float around in space
Not expecting very much.
My baby's meditating to stop the war,
But I got myself a rifle
'Cause I ain't gonna get
Walked on anymore.
We feel such hunger like vampire bats,
I got myself a gang
And we're called the (sleek rats?).
I was out in the desert,
Hunting UFO while I
Saw scorpions and aliens I already know.
My baby's meditating to stop the war,
But I got myself a rifle
'Cause I ain't gonna get
Walked on anymore.
She gave him head till she
Lost a tooth, that's what she gets for
Molesting people in the DJ booth.
I used to be a palace, now I'm
Just a dive. I'm made widow out of you
Even though I'm still alive.
My baby's vegetating to stop the war,
But I got myself a rifle
'Cause I ain't gonna get
Walked on anymore.
The song "Hegira émigré" by Of Montreal talks about the struggle to find one's identity and the need to assert oneself in the world. The lyrics convey a sense of isolation and detachment from the world, as the singer describes witnessing events from afar, being involved in violence and forming a gang in the midst of hunger. However, throughout all of this, there is a sense of trying to find oneself, with the singer's baby meditating to stop war and the singer keeps a rifle to defend himself from being walked on.
The first verse talks about how there is a white riot in the hills, but it is different from other riots where people usually protest for change. Instead, people are simply buying change. The second verse has a play on words with the singer describing himself as gray instead of Caucasian, and how he was conceived on Ash Wednesday and stoned on Christmas day. The third verse speaks about the singer's friend who has been dead for years but they still have great talks. The song ends with the singer realizing that they have become a widow, despite still being alive, and that their baby is vegetating to stop the war.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in the hills they are
There is a group of people in the hills having a riot without any violence, not protesting but simply purchasing whatever they want.
Having a white riot with no violence
The riot happening in the hills is a peaceful riot without any violence despite it being a 'riot'.
Or protesting for change,
The riot in the hills is not related to any protest or demand for change.
They simply buy it.
The people in the hills have the means to purchase whatever they want rather than fighting for it and that's what they are doing.
If you're think I'm Caucasian,
The artist is responding to someone's assumption of his race.
Well I'm actually gray.
The singer is not fully of one race, but more of a mix.
I was conceived on Ash Wednesday
The singer was born on a particular religious day.
And stoned on Christmas day.
The artist was under the influence of marijuana on Christmas day.
My baby's meditating to stop the war,
The artist's partner is meditating to stop the war.
But I got myself a rifle
Despite his partner's peaceful efforts, the artist has acquired a rifle.
'Cause I ain't gonna get
The singer knows he cannot be a victim anymore.
Walked on anymore.
The artist won't let anyone take advantage of him.
Out my window I see a battle of hawks.
The singer is witnessing a battle between two birds of prey outside his window.
My best friend has been dead for years,
The singer's best friend passed away a while ago.
But still we have great talks.
Regardless of his friend's physical absence, the singer still converses with him in some way.
And just like the planets we will
The artist is comparing himself and someone else to planets.
Never touch, just float around in space
The artist and the other person are unlikely to have any close relationship, but just coexist without much interference.
Not expecting very much.
The singer and the other person do not have high expectations from their relationship.
We feel such hunger like vampire bats,
The singer and the singer's group feel very hungry.
I got myself a gang
The artist has formed a group of people.
And we're called the (sleek rats?).
The artist's group has a particular name or identity, but he is uncertain of it.
I was out in the desert,
The artist spent some time in the desert.
Hunting UFO while I
The singer was looking for or searching for a UFO, while he was in the desert.
Saw scorpions and aliens I already know.
The artist saw some scorpions but did not see any aliens he did not know.
She gave him head till she
A woman provided oral sex to a man.
Lost a tooth, that's what she gets for
The woman lost a tooth and the singer suggests it was because of her actions in the DJ booth.
Molesting people in the DJ booth.
The woman was behaving inappropriately in the DJ booth.
I used to be a palace, now I'm
The artist compares himself to a grand palace that's not in its prime anymore.
Just a dive.
The artist now sees himself as a low-class establishment.
I'm made widow out of you
The singer's partner has made him a widower, a metaphorical one and even though he's still alive.
Even though I'm still alive.
The singer's partner has figuratively caused his death while still alive.
My baby's vegetating to stop the war,
The artist's partner is passively trying to stop the war by 'vegetating'.
But I got myself a rifle
The artist has chosen to actively try and stop the war by arming himself.
'Cause I ain't gonna get
The artist knows he can't simply be a victim anymore.
Walked on anymore.
The singer won't let anyone take advantage of him.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kevin Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jiří
Wow, this album is so good..I just discovered it and I can barely cope with all the genius in it
Shamu Shampoo
cope and seethe
gummirex
its been seven years do you still like the
song
James McDonnell
By far; 15 seconds into my first listen through I had to restart it just to continue reveling in the pure genius of his (Kevin's) lyrical writing.
CrystalFanq
amazing song, 10/10
joshua church
This albums seems to be pretty heavily influenced by Dylan, I'm loving it.
Rookseye Lmao
god, this hits so hard. love it
williehopscotch
best track on the new album
Tyler Stanley
Wow I love how this just sounds like a mixture of Waylon Jennings David Bowie and Bob Dylan
Nooot
Epic