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 Felt Like Smashing My Head Through A Clear Glass Window
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smashing my face through a clear glass window.
But instead, I went out
And smashed up a phone booth around the corner.
I never had a chance to choose my own parents,
Id never know why I should be stuck with mine.
Mommys always trying not to eat
I never had a chance to choose my own name,
Id never know why I should be stuck with mine.
Mommys always talkin bout family pride
And daddys always hiding from his week-end rides.
All day long I felt like
Smashing my neck through a clear glass window.
But instead, I went out
And smashed up a station wagon round the corner.
I looked in the mirror and told myself,
Im glad I still dont look like them at least.
Mommys like a film star in a distorted mirror,
Daddys like a guy who lost his stomach in the war.
I went to shake hands with the president in miami,
I went to a rock show to see mick jagger.
And youd never believe it, surprise of my life,
They had paint on their faces just like mommy.
Am I going crazy or is it just you, daddy?
Am I going nuts or is it just you, mommy?
Am I plain gone or is it the world?
Daddy, Id rather have you dead than crazy.
Trying to talk to them is like, eating tv dinner when youre angry,
Trying to get their love is like, watching ice cream ad when youre hungry.
They gave me a watch thats guaranteed not to break
But my mommy and daddy broke up last fall.
Am I going crazy or is it just you, daddy?
Am I going nuts or is it just you, mommy?
Am I plain gone or is it just the world?
Mommy, Id rather have you dead than crazy.
All day long I felt like
Smashing my head in a clear glass window.
But instead, I went out
And smashed up a church around the corner.
The song "I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through A Clear Glass Window" by of Montreal is a powerful and haunting exploration of the complicated dynamics of family relationships. The lyrics are filled with anger, frustration, and sadness as the singer expresses their deep-seated dissatisfaction with their parents and their lives. The desire to smash their head or face through glass serves as a metaphor for the intense emotions they are experiencing.
The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer expresses their impulse to destroy something beautiful and fragile. They feel trapped in their situation and have no control over who their parents are or the life they were born into. The second verse continues this theme, highlighting the dysfunctional nature of their family as their mother struggles with an eating disorder and their father has a drinking problem.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more disillusioned with their parents and the world around them. They compare their mother to a distorted film star and their father to a war veteran who has lost his stomach. They even go so far as to say they would rather have their parents dead than crazy.
The final verse is perhaps the most striking, as the singer finally gives in to their destructive impulses and smashes up a church. It's a potent image that suggests a complete rupture from their past and a need to start over in a new direction. Overall, "I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through A Clear Glass Window" is a dark and powerful song that explores the complex and painful emotions that can come with growing up in a dysfunctional family.
Line by Line Meaning
All day long I felt like
Throughout the entire day, a desire arose in me
Smashing my face through a clear glass window.
to break something clear with my face
But instead, I went out
Rather, I left the house
And smashed up a phone booth around the corner.
and damaged a nearby phone box
I never had a chance to choose my own parents,
I never got an opportunity to select my guardians
Id never know why I should be stuck with mine.
I wouldn't ever understand why I have to live with these particular individuals
Mommys always trying not to eat
Mother is always attempting to avoid food
And daddys always smelling like hes pickled in booze.
Father always reeks of being soaked in alcohol.
I never had a chance to choose my own name,
I never had the opportunity to choose my own identification.
Id never know why I should be stuck with mine.
I wouldn't ever comprehend why I am stuck with this particular name
Mommys always talkin bout family pride
Mother always talks about pride in family
And daddys always hiding from his week-end rides.
Father always conceals his activities on weekends
All day long I felt like
Throughout the entire day, a thought occurred to me
Smashing my neck through a clear glass window.
To break something clear with my neck
But instead, I went out
Rather, I left the house
And smashed up a station wagon round the corner.
and damaged a nearby vehicle
I looked in the mirror and told myself,
I gazed at my own reflection and spoke to myself
Im glad I still dont look like them at least.
I am pleased that I do not resemble them in any way.
Mommys like a film star in a distorted mirror,
Mother looks like an actress in a warped mirror
Daddys like a guy who lost his stomach in the war.
Father appears to have lost his stomach in a war
I went to shake hands with the president in miami,
I went to Miami to shake hands with the president
I went to a rock show to see mick jagger.
I attended a rock concert to watch Mick Jagger perform.
And youd never believe it, surprise of my life,
And to my utter astonishment,
They had paint on their faces just like mommy.
They had painted their faces in the same way as my mother.
Am I going crazy or is it just you, daddy?
Is it only me or are you just as crazy, Father?
Am I going nuts or is it just you, mommy?
Is it just my imagination, or are you also crazy, Mother?
Am I plain gone or is it the world?
Is it myself who has gone insane or is it the world around me?
Daddy, Id rather have you dead than crazy.
Father, I prefer you dead than to be out of your mind.
Trying to talk to them is like, eating tv dinner when youre angry,
Attempting to converse with them is akin to eating frozen food when angry.
Trying to get their love is like, watching ice cream ad when youre hungry.
Efforts to win their affection is similar to watching an ice cream advertisement when hungry.
They gave me a watch thats guaranteed not to break
They gifted me with an unbreakable watch
But my mommy and daddy broke up last fall.
But my mother and father separated last autumn.
Mommy, Id rather have you dead than crazy.
Mother, I would prefer you dead than to be crazy.
All day long I felt like
Throughout the entire day, I had an urge
Smashing my head in a clear glass window.
To break something clear with my head
But instead, I went out
Rather, I left the house
And smashed up a church around the corner.
And destroyed a church nearby.
Contributed by Chase K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.