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.
I'd Be a Yellow Feathered Loon
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be a German shepherd on the moon for you baby
Be a granulated spoon
For you baby
I'd be a camper in a photograph for you
Then when the sun has set
Romantic times have passed
I'll become a different man
So you can get to know me again
I'd be a rubber banded flute for you baby
Be an union parachute for you baby
Be a baby that's a mute for you baby
I'd be an insecurity in a Tibetan's head for you
Then when the sun has set
Romantic times have passed
And our conversations are a chore
I'll become a different man
So you can get to know me again
I'd be a uniform on an imbecile for you
If you want me to die trying I will die to please you
I'd be a pepper minted rook for you baby
Be an unhappy organ donor's book for you baby
Be a straw covered in scum and gook for you baby
I'd be a wrestler in a tuxedo shirt for you
I'd be an antacid with a brown wig on for you
The lyrics of "I'd Be a Yellow Feathered Loon" are a surreal and absurd expression of devotion, presenting a series of bizarre and impossible scenarios in which the singer is willing to transform himself for the sake of his beloved. The opening lines establish the tone of whimsical self-sacrifice, with the declaration that the singer would become a "yellow feathered loon," a species of bird known for its distinctive and striking appearance. This image is followed by a series of equally implausible transformations, including becoming a German shepherd on the moon or a granulated spoon, as well as a more mundane scenario of being a camper in a photograph. These lyrics are characterized by their playful and imaginative language, as well as their use of absurdity to convey the depth of the singer's devotion.
The chorus of the song provides a contrast to the fanciful verses, presenting a more melancholic and introspective moment. The lines "Then when the sun has set / Romantic times have passed / And our conversations are a bore / I'll become a different man / So you can get to know me again" acknowledge the fleeting nature of romantic relationships and the need for constant reinvention and reconnection. The singer seems to recognize that the initial excitement and novelty of a relationship will fade, and that it is up to both partners to keep things fresh and interesting. The promise to become a different man for the sake of the beloved suggests a willingness to change and adapt, even if it means risking the stability of the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "I'd Be a Yellow Feathered Loon" are a testament to the transformative power of love, and the often absurd and irrational lengths to which humans will go to express their devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd be a yellow feathered loon for you baby
I would do outrageous things for you, even if they seem impossible or illogical.
Be a German shepherd on the moon for you baby
I am willing to transform into anything to please you, even if it means being an animal on a different planet.
Be a granulated spoon for you baby
I will become anything, even an insignificant object like a spoon, if it will make you happy.
I'd be a camper in a photograph for you
I will go back in time to experiences where I was happy, just to be with you.
Then when the sun has set Romantic times have passed And our conversations are a bore I'll become a different man So you can get to know me again
When our relationship becomes monotonous, I will try new things and reinvent myself just to make sure that you never get bored of me.
I'd be a rubber banded flute for you baby
I will become anything, no matter how unusual or nonsensical, if it means having you by my side.
Be an union parachute for you baby
I am willing to be a safety net or support system for you, even if it means taking on risky or dangerous situations.
Be a baby that's a mute for you baby
I would be willing to make sacrifices, even if they mean giving up my ability to communicate, to be with you.
I'd be an insecurity in a Tibetan's head for you
I will take on emotional burdens and put my own insecurities aside for you, no matter how significant or trivial they may seem.
I'd be a uniform on an imbecile for you
I will endure humiliation and embarrassment if it means making you happy.
If you want me to die trying I will die to please you
I am willing to go to extreme lengths, even put my own life at risk, to make sure that you are happy and satisfied in our relationship.
I'd be a pepper minted rook for you baby
I would do anything, even transform into an insignificant or unimportant object, if it made you happy.
Be an unhappy organ donor's book for you baby
I am willing to take on the pain and suffering of others, even if it means making myself unhappy, simply to make you happy and content.
Be a straw covered in scum and gook for you baby
I would do anything, even if it meant becoming dirty or disgusting, if it meant pleasing you.
I'd be a wrestler in a tuxedo shirt for you
I am willing to do things that seem impossible or absurd, even if it meant sacrificing my own values or identity for you.
I'd be an antacid with a brown wig on for you
I am willing to take on unconventional or ridiculous roles, just to make sure that you stay happy and satisfied in our relationship.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephenlockard
@smacktheclown yeah i noticed the same thing
@herbmaaster
wrong song title