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.
Jan Doesn't Like It
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come play with my erection
Can't you see that it's standing at attention?
I'm amenable to a personal inspection
And I've come to pay respects to your thirty-two perfections
You never going to get to Janna, killing dreams like that
I met your friend at the festival
He asked me why I was so pretentious
As I was being interviewed, I was thinking, "My God!
They always pick the wrong time to try and break your heart"
Everybody seems so critical
He started shaking because he realized that we were so aligned
Like the sisters and the kids who are always making scenes out of nothing
Yes, so anyways I guess your friend's sound
It's another psycho afternoon in the cattle forges of your heart
They only shoot dead people now
They said they only shoot them after they're dead
Oh
They only shoot dead people now
They said they only shoot them after they're dead
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
The rat has touched the wall
Jan Doesn't Like It by of Montreal is a song filled with surrealistic and cryptic lyrics that leave the listener to interpret and analyze its meaning. The opening line, "Jan doesn't like it when they enter the apartment through his head," sets the scene for an unusual and fantastical world where things are not quite as they seem. It could be interpreted as a metaphor for being invaded by thoughts or memories that one cannot control or wishes to ignore.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more sexually suggestive with lines such as "Come play with my erection, can't you see that it's standing at attention?" These lyrics may be interpreted as a commentary on the objectification of women and the male gaze. The line "And I've come to pay respects to your thirty-two perfections" could refer to the 32 points of the human body in traditional Chinese medicine, where each point relates to a specific physical or mental function.
The song then takes a more political turn with the lyrics "You're never going to get to Janna, killing dreams like that, Thor will see that it just never happened." These lyrics could be interpreted as a reference to the concept of institutional discrimination, where societal structures prevent people from achieving their goals and aspirations.
Overall, Jan Doesn't Like It is a complex and somewhat enigmatic song that invites the listener to engage with its mysterious and intriguing lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Jan doesn't like it when they enter the apartment through his head
Jan dislikes it when people invade his personal space and thoughts
Come play with my erection
I am sexually aroused and want you to engage with me
Can't you see that it's standing at attention?
I want you to acknowledge my physical arousal
I'm amenable to a personal inspection
I am open to sexual exploration and experimentation
And I've come to pay respects to your thirty-two perfections
I am admiring your physical appearance and find you attractive
You never going to get to Janna, killing dreams like that
You will never be successful with someone like Janna if you continue to behave in this way
Thor will see that it just never happened
The situation between us will never come to fruition
I met your friend at the festival
I encountered someone you know at a recent event
He asked me why I was so pretentious
He questioned why I was acting in a manner that seemed arrogant and superior
As I was being interviewed, I was thinking, 'My God!
During my interview, I was consumed with the feeling of a higher power
They always pick the wrong time to try and break your heart'
People often choose the most inopportune moment to cause emotional pain
Everybody seems so critical
Many people are judgemental and negative
He started shaking because he realized that we were so aligned
He became nervous when he recognized how similar we were in our thinking
Like the sisters and the kids who are always making scenes out of nothing
People can create drama and conflict even when there is none present
Yes, so anyways I guess your friend's sound
Anyway, changing the subject, I think your friend is talented
It's another psycho afternoon in the cattle forges of your heart
Your emotions are chaotic and you are struggling to keep them under control
They only shoot dead people now
Society only values and recognizes people who are already successful or accomplished
They said they only shoot them after they're dead
They only recognize and celebrate people once they have passed away, rather than during their lifetime
The rat has touched the wall
This is a meaningless phrase repeated multiple times for artistic effect
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zora Moyashi
It’s fucking sad that we need a tragedy to occur to gain a fresh perspective in our lives.
Nothing happens for a reason, there’s no point even pretending
You know the sad truth as well as I.
Oh god the morning light, sunrays bring my paranoia,
I can’t function unless I’m the only one awake.
Rancor of our last conversation - that forbidden word you deform to handicap me then abuse your
advantage.
I’m nervous my soul is returning to crystals ‘cause your eyes are an agent of darkness.
There’s nothing to fight, it’s just a bit of fait accompli.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good
But still there must be a more elegant solution.
Lately I’m rotting in the filth of self-offered agonies, that really should fill me with shame
But all I have is this manic energy.
I lost my page in being the black stamped disciple in your heart collage.
Just want to celebrate me, need to suffer more, face our puerility that comforts.
Officiate, devise new stratagems to disembowel our quotidian characters.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good
Still there must be a more elegant solution.
I know I’m upside down about you.
Your kindness feels like or blasphemy or some sick education on the limits of humanity
So I convey the laws of some Victorian garbage and listen to you smashing up my studio again.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good.
Still there must be a more elegant solution.
Lately all I can produce is psychotic vitriol, that really should fill me with guilt
but all I have is asthmatic energy.
Jordynn Forrester
2018 anyone
Salem Blackstock
2021
Elise Pentz
2020
Shane Smart
2020, actually
Dana Alfaro0706
No, sorry.
Just 2019.
War General Gremlin
2019
Bae Cop 2027
Kevin's always judged so harshly for his work, which I guess is due largely to the fact that of Montreal is 11 albums deep, but I actually love how each album progressively pushes the limits of what defines the band. It doesn't sound like a mess to me, just unconventional compared to what I think the SHOULD sound like. Sometimes life is disjointed and messy, and when you can reflect that in a song, you get beauty.
Nokamm
The melody is ok. But it's amazing ! he sang the only words that made me cry : "I SPEND MY WAKING HOURS HAUNTING MY LIIIFE ! I MADE THE ONE I LOVE START CRYING TONIGHT, AND IT FELT GOOOD !" It's sick, he sings with so much pain and sadness. It makes me FEEL moments of my life. And more I concentrate, more it makes me cry, especially now I'm in love It's a mix of sadness and happiness at this beauty It's just 10sec that transcends me, it give me bursts of emotion, it shatters me I never felt that
AprilMelody Art
This is literally my favorite of Montreal song ever.
Mandy
@Bobby IsMyName It's Kevin's favorite song to perform, too!