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.
My Favorite Boxer
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He goes smasho and everyone cheers
He turns big men into whimpering cowards
He's so strong and how I adore him
But I'm so weak
So much so that I'm afraid
To walk alone down my street
Hector Ormano is my favorite boxer
His smile is so white like elephant ivory
He's so handsome and all of his girlfriends
Are tall and blonde with hourglass curves
But I don't know many girls
And I certainly don't know any girls like that
Even if I did I wouldn't be as cool as Hector Ormano
One summer day I was sitting on the bridge
Looking at the water below
When I heard some laughter and a familiar voice
Coming from down the road
It was then that I saw and my heart nearly dropped
I saw Hector Ormano with some friends
And as they approached my mind went blank
As I struggled to find the words
I was dying to tell him
The lyrics to "My Favorite Boxer" by of Montreal explore themes of admiration, hero worship, and personal insecurity. The singer sings of their infatuation with Hector Ormano, a professional boxer who is celebrated for his strength, courage, and good looks. Despite being in awe of Ormano's accomplishments, the singer confesses their own feelings of cowardice and inadequacy, particularly in their struggles to interact with people and pursue romantic interests. In a poignant moment, the singer describes seeing Ormano in person and being too overwhelmed to speak to him, highlighting the divide between aspiration and reality.
One notable aspect of the song is its use of vivid imagery and wordplay. The description of Ormano's actions in the ring ("He goes smasho") and physical appearance ("His smile is so white like elephant ivory") reinforces his larger-than-life persona and draws attention to the ways in which public figures can become idols. The contrast between the singer's self-doubt and Ormano's self-assuredness is also striking, as the latter is depicted as effortlessly navigating through life while the former struggles to even leave their own house.
Line by Line Meaning
Hector Ormano is my favorite boxer
The singer admires Hector Ormano, a boxer who is strong and powerful.
He goes smasho and everyone cheers
Hector Ormano is popular because he is an effective fighter and people enjoy watching him fight.
He turns big men into whimpering cowards
Hector Ormano is so strong that he makes even tough men feel weak and afraid.
He's so strong and how I adore him
The artist deeply admires Hector Ormano's strength and physical prowess.
But I'm so weak
The artist feels physically and emotionally inferior to Hector Ormano.
So much so that I'm afraid
The singer is very fearful and lacks confidence in themselves.
To walk alone down my street
The singer is afraid to go out in public by themselves.
I know I'll never be as brave as Hector Ormano
The artist believes they will never be as courageous or strong as Hector Ormano.
His smile is so white like elephant ivory
Hector Ormano has a bright, gleaming smile that is reminiscent of elephant ivory.
He's so handsome and all of his girlfriends
Hector Ormano is attractive and has had many romantic partners.
Are tall and blonde with hourglass curves
Hector Ormano's romantic partners are conventionally beautiful and have desirable physical features.
But I don't know many girls
The artist has limited experience with dating or romantic relationships.
And I certainly don't know any girls like that
The singer has never met or been romantically involved with someone who matches Hector Ormano's partners' physical descriptions.
Even if I did I wouldn't be as cool as Hector Ormano
The singer believes they are not as popular, interesting or attractive as Hector Ormano.
One summer day I was sitting on the bridge
The singer is reminiscing about a specific event that occurred during summer.
Looking at the water below
The artist was gazing at the water under the bridge.
When I heard some laughter and a familiar voice
The artist heard someone they recognized laughing nearby.
Coming from down the road
The laughter and voice were approaching from the direction of the road.
It was then that I saw and my heart nearly dropped
The singer saw something that caused them great surprise, excitement, or fear.
I saw Hector Ormano with some friends
The artist is happy to see Hector Ormano, possibly in person or in a public space.
And as they approached my mind went blank
The artist became nervous and was unable to think clearly as Hector Ormano and their friends came closer.
As I struggled to find the words
The artist was having difficulty speaking or communicating effectively.
I was dying to tell him
The singer had something important or exciting they wanted to say to Hector Ormano.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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