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 Christmas
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't think we'd be together.
We were almost seperated by the weather
But I ran through the snow
Right up to your window and smiled cause I
Was so absolutely happy to be with you
All our relatives were too afraid to drive
We got to spend the day alone, I swear it
Was the most beautiful day I know
We sat by the fire and opened the presents
That we'd gotten for each other then after
You telephoned your mother. We cuddled on
The couch, drank cocoa by the tree and you
Smiled cause you were so absolutely happy
To be with me
The day went by so fast and as night
Approached we laughed at our luck. The
Snow had let up
After the roads were cleared all our relatives
Suddenly appeared
So we blew out the candles and replaced
Frank Sinatra with Phil Spector's Christmas record
Our grandparents filed in all plaid and
Checkered with their arms filled with gifts
And delicious desserts and we smiled
Cause we were so absolutely happy
So very very happy to be together
The lyrics to of Montreal's song My Favorite Christmas tell the sweet tale of a couple's Christmas spent together, despite the odds against their being able to do so. The first verse is particularly poignant, describing the couple's almost being separated due to the weather. The singer ran through the snow to the other person's house, arriving at their window and feeling absolutely happy to be with them. This is a lovely expression of love, underscored by the dramatic element of the snowstorm that nearly kept them apart.
The second verse goes on to describe the rest of the couple's day together, spent alone due to the treacherous snowfall that kept all their relatives away. The couple cozied up by the fire and exchanged presents, calling the other's mother and spending quality time together. The chorus of the song, where the singer expresses how happy they were to be with the other person, repeats itself and emphasizes the joy and gratitude the couple felt just to be together.
As the evening wore on, the snow lessened and their relatives were able to join them. They all gathered around the Christmas tree, the fire, and some delicious desserts to end the day on a happy note, with a sense of shared joy and gratefulness for their time together. The beauty of My Favorite Christmas lies in its simplicity, as it tells a story that's easy to relate to and captures the true spirit of the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember that one Christmas when we
Reflecting on a past Christmas with someone
Didn't think we'd be together.
Both parties had doubts or obstacles that might have prevented their Christmas together
We were almost seperated by the weather
Bad weather almost kept them from being together
But I ran through the snow
One person made a determined effort to be with the other despite the weather
Right up to your window and smiled cause I
Arrived at the other person's house and felt happy to see them
Was so absolutely happy to be with you
Expressing extreme happiness at being together for the holiday
All our relatives were too afraid to drive
No one else was able to join them due to the weather conditions
Through the snow
The weather was snowy
We got to spend the day alone, I swear it
They were able to spend the day without any distractions from outside family members
Was the most beautiful day I know
The best Christmas either person has ever had
We sat by the fire and opened the presents
The couple exchanged presents while sitting by the fire
That we'd gotten for each other then after
Describing the order of events between opening presents and phoning a family member
You telephoned your mother. We cuddled on
One of the people made a phone call to a relative, while they both cuddled afterward
The couch, drank cocoa by the tree and you
They drank cocoa by the tree while on the couch
Smiled cause you were so absolutely happy
Both parties were happy and content with each other's company
To be with me
They each enjoyed spending time with one another
The day went by so fast and as night
The day felt like it passed too quickly
Approached we laughed at our luck. The
They both enjoyed and appreciated their good fortune in being able to spend the holiday together
Snow had let up
The snowfall had stopped
After the roads were cleared all our relatives
Once the weather improved, everyone else was able to come over
Suddenly appeared
Everyone else arrived unexpectedly
So we blew out the candles and replaced
They blew out the candles and changed the mood with different music
Frank Sinatra with Phil Spector's Christmas record
They changed their music from Frank Sinatra to a Christmas compilation created by Phil Spector
Our grandparents filed in all plaid and
The grandparents arrived wearing traditional Christmas attire
Checkered with their arms filled with gifts
They brought many gifts to share
And delicious desserts and we smiled
The hosts were happy to see the desserts and to have company
Cause we were so absolutely happy
Both individuals were thrilled with how the entire day turned out
So very very happy to be together
They were both thrilled to have been able to spend the holiday together with their family
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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