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.
INTRODUCTION
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Present owner of the Edward lam wax museum
Daughter of the comedic duo Dorothy and Edward.
Do you remember them?
They accomplished mild success on the stages
Of the vaudeville theatres in Blackpool
And in London that was before the advent of Hollywood.
And people stopped going to see them
So they took out a loan
And built a big wax museum
Inside of an old aban- dened vaudeville theatre.
It was about this time
That Dorothy gave birth to their only child
And named her Isabell
And from that day they were so happy and gay.
Momma, papa and their sweet
And thoughtful treasured fair haired angel baby girl.
Eventually a half a century passes we see
Edward in a wheel chair Dorothy in granny glasses
And Isabell the proud proprietor of the wax museam.
Wax Museum.
Isabell would you like to tell
About the bell hidden inside your name.
Does it ring every time someone calle out Isabell?
Do you hear it when you run?
If it broke they'd yell out "Isa" instead of Isabell until you fixed your bell
The song "An Introduction for Isabell" by of Montreal is a storytelling ballad that introduces the listener to Isabell Lam, the present owner of the Edward Lam Wax Museum. The song delves into the history of Isabell's parents, Dorothy and Edward, who were a comedic duo that achieved moderate success in vaudeville theaters in Blackpool and London. However, as vaudeville died out, the couple took out a loan to build a wax museum inside an abandoned vaudeville theater where their only child, Isabell, was born. In the following years, Isabell became the proud proprietor of the wax museum, while her parents grew old and frail.
The song is an ode to the passing of time, the fragility of success, and the endurance of love. Isabell's parents, who were once full of life and joy, became elderly and disabled, but their love for their daughter remained the same. Similarly, the wax museum, which was once a symbol of success, became a time capsule of the past. Through Isabell's name, which contains a hidden bell, the song also touches upon the idea of identity and the meaning carried by a name.
Overall, "An Introduction for Isabell" is a melancholic and nostalgic portrayal of a family and a symbol of an era that have both passed away.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd like to introduce you now to Isabell Lamb
Allow me to present to you Isabell Lamb.
Present owner of the Edward Lam wax museum
She is the current proprietor of the Edward Lam wax museum.
Daughter of the comedic duo Dorothy and Edward
She is the offspring of the comedian pair Dorothy and Edward.
Do you remember them?
Do you recall this comedic duo?
They accomplished mild success on the stages
They had a modestly successful career performing on stage.
Of the vaudeville theatres in Blackpool
Their performances were held at vaudeville theaters in Blackpool.
And in London that was before the advent of Hollywood
This occurred in London before the era of Hollywood.
When vaudeville died
When vaudeville performances lost their popularity.
And people stopped going to see them
Audiences ceased attending their performances.
So they took out a loan
They borrowed money.
And built a big wax museum
They constructed a large wax museum.
Inside of an old abandoned vaudeville theatre
This museum was built within a deserted vaudeville theater.
It was about this time
Around this same period, in the past.
That Dorothy gave birth to their only child
During this timeframe, Dorothy had their lone offspring.
And named her Isabell
They decided to name her Isabell.
And from that day they were so happy and gay
They found happiness in the birth of their child.
Momma, papa and their sweet
Dorothy, Edward, and their beloved offspring.
And thoughtful treasured fair haired angel baby girl
Their child was a cherished, considerate, and beautiful infant.
Eventually a half a century passes we see
As time progressed, about fifty years later.
Edward in a wheel chair Dorothy in granny glasses
Edward is dependent on a wheelchair, and Dorothy requires reading glasses.
And Isabell the proud proprietor of the wax museum
Isabell is now the proprietor of the wax museum, and takes pride in it.
Wax Museum
The name of the museum.
Isabell would you like to tell
May I inquire, Isabell.
About the bell hidden inside your name
Can you share details about the bell that is part of your name?
Does it ring every time someone called out Isabell?
Does it create a ringing sound each time your name is called out?
Do you hear it when you run?
Is the bell audible when you run?
If it broke they'd yell out 'Isa' instead of Isabell until you fixed your bell
Were the bell to break, people would shorten your name to 'Isa' until it was repaired.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kristine Asuncion
I moved to Montreal 7 years ago, and it still amazes me everyday <3
Jose Carranza
@Vincent Majzoub Cvck
Vincent Majzoub
@Jose Carranza very funny, in fact the most hilarious and racist thing i've heard in a WHILE. Cry
Jose Carranza
@Vincent Majzoub Nothing funny.
Vincent Majzoub
@Jose Carranza muslim invasion of france what lmao ?!
Jose Carranza
@Roof Sat What?
Yalslaus
One of the most underrated cities in the world
Ludmila Manascurta
Nope its actuallly a very touristique place în the summer so yeah you dont know what your talking about...
Talat Mursalin Alif
lol you don’t deserve to watch this video
Cat shorts
https://youtu.be/DuQkv1uIRvI