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 Feel Ya Strutter
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got so lucky wit' you
Yes, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky wit' you
So freaked out and depressed
But now, I see how I was so blessed, so blessed
With you girlfriend
I know there ain't no one person that
Sometimes I do think it's me
Like, I'm in a flight simulator
And I am crashing the birth of any potential memory
Hey, I'm still way erect for you ain't gonna lie
You cured me of my death anxiety
Only took you two tries
Yeah, the head seemed and the back seemed the vaccine
And I've chosen the very powerful penance
I know it girlfriend
I got so lucky with you
Yeah, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky with you
So I hammer on guitar for who you are
Or may be when you're
I see you girlfriend
I got so lucky wit' you
Yes, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky wit' you
So tweaked out and depressed
But now, I see that I was blessed, so blessed
With you girlfriend
I want to prove to you I'm advanced in 'vana
I can't even pick up Opera
I'm in signal anymore
I can't cope with such an abstract blackmail domination spasm
Although it makes a temporary difference
I'm really not your possession I'm just your friend
There's an invisible suture that keeps me in my seat
Next to you till the end, till the end
I made a wish that I really should'nt have
When it came true, didn't know what to do with it
Our we to pay, for our dreams
I see your progress as a better turn
Just like everything else
I spoke of frontal lobe regressions
This is not one of those
I know it girlfriend
I got so lucky with you
I feel ya strutter I got so lucky with you
So for what you is
I see you girlfriend
I got so lucky with you
Yes, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky with you
So freaked out and depressed
But now, I see how I was blessed, so blessed
With you girlfriend
(I got so lucky with you)
The lyrics of "I Feel Ya Strutter" by of Montreal is a love song that talks about a man's gratitude towards his girlfriend who helped him overcome his anxiety and depression. He feels blessed to have her in his life and acknowledges that she is the cure for his death anxiety. The song starts with the singer expressing his love towards his girlfriend, saying that he feels lucky to have found her. He acknowledges that he was feeling depressed but now, after being with her, he knows how blessed he is.
The singer then talks about his insecurities and self-doubt. He feels like he is the one person that everyone else hates and wants to die. But he admits to his girlfriend that she has cured him of his death anxiety and how she has been his support system. The song also mentions the singer's fear of not being able to cope with the abstract blackmail domination spasm, which is metaphorical for his anxiety. He then admits to making a wish that he should not have and not knowing what to do with it when it came true.
Overall, the lyrics of the song convey a sense of profound love and gratitude towards the singer's girlfriend who helped him overcome his anxiety and depression.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you girlfriend
I acknowledge your presence, my girlfriend
I got so lucky wit' you
I am fortunate to have you in my life
Yes, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky wit' you
I understand and empathize with you, and I am grateful for the luck I have in having you
So freaked out and depressed
I was previously very anxious and sad
But now, I see how I was so blessed, so blessed
But now, I appreciate how fortunate I am to have you and how much you have helped me
With you girlfriend
You were instrumental in improving my life
I know there ain't no one person that
I understand that there is no one universally disliked person
Everybody else in the world hates on, wants to die
That everybody dislikes somebody or wishes ill on them
Sometimes I do think it's me
I sometimes worry that I am the disliked person
Like, I'm in a flight simulator
I feel like I am in a simulation of a stressful situation
And I am crashing the birth of any potential memory
I feel like I am destroying any chance of creating happy memories
Hey, I'm still way erect for you ain't gonna lie
Despite my worries, I am still very attracted to you
You cured me of my death anxiety
You helped me overcome my fear of dying
Only took you two tries
You were successful in doing so after two attempts
Yeah, the head seemed and the back seemed the vaccine
The solution seemed to come from both a mental and physical source
And I've chosen the very powerful penance
I have chosen a powerful form of atonement
I know it girlfriend
I appreciate you, my girlfriend
So I hammer on guitar for who you are
I play guitar to celebrate and honor you as an individual
Or may be when you're
Or perhaps when you are around
I want to prove to you I'm advanced in 'vana
I want to show you that I have progressed spiritually or mentally
I can't even pick up Opera
But I am struggling with mastering an intellectual pursuit
I'm in signal anymore
I am finding it difficult to communicate
I can't cope with such an abstract blackmail domination spasm
I am feeling overwhelmed by an unclear, stressful situation
Although it makes a temporary difference
Even though it provides temporary relief
I'm really not your possession I'm just your friend
I see myself as your friend rather than your possession
There's an invisible suture that keeps me in my seat
There is a connection between us that keeps me committed to our relationship
Next to you till the end, till the end
I will stay with you until the end of our relationship
I made a wish that I really should'nt have
I made a wish that I now regret
When it came true, didn't know what to do with it
When my wish was granted, I did not know how to handle it
Our we to pay, for our dreams
We must pay a price for our desires
I see your progress as a better turn
I see how you have grown and improved, and I am pleased
Just like everything else
In the same way as other aspects of life
I spoke of frontal lobe regressions
I have previously discussed mental regression
This is not one of those
But this situation is not an example of that regression
So for what you is
Therefore, I appreciate you for who you are
But now, I see how I was blessed, so blessed
But now, I appreciate how fortunate I am to have you and how much you have helped me
I got so lucky with you
I am lucky to have you in my life
I feel ya strutter I got so lucky with you
I empathize with you and am grateful for our relationship
So tweaked out and depressed
I was previously very anxious and sad
With you girlfriend
But you have made me feel better
I see you girlfriend
I acknowledge your presence, my girlfriend
Yes, I feel ya strutter I got so lucky wit' you
I understand and empathize with you, and I am grateful for the luck I have in having you
So freaked out and depressed
I was previously very anxious and sad
But now, I see how I was blessed, so blessed
But now, I appreciate how fortunate I am to have you and how much you have helped me
With you girlfriend
You have made my life better and I am grateful
(I got so lucky with you)
I am fortunate to have you in my life
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kevin L Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind