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.
Past is a Grotesque Animal
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Standing at Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster
Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be different but they're not
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
And it's my favorite scene
But the cruelty's so predictable
It makes you sad on the stage
Though our love project has so much potential
But it's like we weren't made for this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)
Do I have to scream in your face?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
Throw it all in my face, I don't care
Let's just have some fun
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
But let's just have some fun
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you
No death, no ugly world
You've lived so brightly
You've altered everything
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
But even apocalypse is fleeting
There's no death, no ugly world
Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Mythologizing me like I do you
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
And you can betray me
You can, you can betray me
But teach me something wonderful
Crown my head, crowd my head
With your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
See, there's nothing to them
I promise you, there's nothing to them
I'm so touched by your goodness
You make me feel so criminal
How do you keep it together?
I'm all, all unraveled
But you know, no matter where we are
We're always touching by underground wires
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
And none of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical now
Of Montreal's song "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" is a long and dense piece of music that details the tumultuous ups and downs of a relationship. The song speaks to the idea that sometimes, no matter how close we feel to the person we're with, we can never truly know them completely. The past is like a grotesque animal because it holds all of our ugliness, all of our mistakes, and all of our secrets. Even in the eyes of the person we love, we can see how wrong we've been in the past, and how fragile our connection truly is.
The verses of the song delve into the specifics of the relationship, the singer falling in love with a girl who appreciates the work of Georges Bataille and discussing "Story of the Eye" with her. He also speaks to the embarrassment of needing someone the way he needs her, and the frustration of flunking out of school. The chorus of the song reflects the idea that even though everything may be falling apart, at least we're the ones leading the way. The bridge of the song brings in a mousy girl who screams for violence, and the singer wonders if his partner is mythologizing him the same way he is mythologizing her. He implores her to teach him something wonderful, and speak to him in the radiance of terror dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
The past is a grotesque animal
The past is a strange and terrifying creature
And in its eyes you see
And when you look at it, you realize
How completely wrong you can be
How much you've been mistaken
How completely wrong you can be
How much you've been mistaken
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
The sun is shining and melting yesterday's snow
Makes you wonder why it bothered
Makes you question why it even snowed at all
I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
I fell in love with the first attractive girl I saw
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Who shared my love of Georges Bataille
Standing at Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
At a Swedish festival discussing our admiration of "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing our admiration of "Story of the Eye"
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
It's humiliating to need you the way that I do
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
How do I express that I need you, but not at the same time
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
I'm failing, and it's clear that I won't make it
But at least I author my own disaster
But at least I'm responsible for my own failure
At least I author my own disaster
At least I'm responsible for my own failure
Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm having a mental breakdown and I don't want to deal with it
I'm just not available
I'm emotionally unavailable
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be better, but they're not
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be better, but they're not
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The timid girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The timid girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
She becomes hysterical because they're both so cruel
And it's my favorite scene
And I love watching this unfold
But the cruelty's so predictable
But their cruelty is unsurprising
It makes you sad on the stage
It's disheartening to witness
Though our love project has so much potential
Even though our love has great capacity
But it's like we weren't made for this world
But it seems we don't fit into this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)
('Cause honestly, who would?)
Do I have to scream in your face?
Must I shout to get through to you?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
I've been avoiding thrown objects
Throw it all in my face, I don't care
Throw it all at me, I can take it
Let's just have some fun
Let's just enjoy ourselves
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's destroy everything
Let's tear the fucking house apart
(Literally) Let's destroy the house
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
(Literally) Let's hurt ourselves too
But let's just have some fun
But most importantly, let's enjoy ourselves
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
You've successfully navigated the barriers to my heart
And nothing can defeat you
And nothing can stop you
No death, no ugly world
Not even death or an undesirable world
You've lived so brightly
You've had such a vibrant life
You've altered everything
You've changed everything
I find myself searching for old selves
I'm looking for my past selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
I'm moving rapidly through life's maturation process
I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
I've played the role of the one who untangles, the parhelion
But even apocalypse is fleeting
But even the end of the world is temporary
There's no death, no ugly world
Nothing can really kill you; there's no truly ugly world
Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Sometimes I wonder if you're creating myths about me, like I do about you
Mythologizing me like I do you
Creating stories about me, like I do about you
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
We'd rather have a beautiful film than a realistic one
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
See me as a figure in your most frightening dreams
And you can betray me
And you can deceive me
You can, you can betray me
You are capable of betraying me
But teach me something wonderful
But also show me something amazing
Crown my head, crowd my head
Overwhelm me with your admiration
With your lilting effects
With your light and happy influence
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
Show me your anxieties, I need to see them
See, there's nothing to them
As it turns out, there's really nothing to be afraid of
I promise you, there's nothing to them
Trust me, there's nothing to be afraid of
I'm so touched by your goodness
I'm deeply moved by your kindness
You make me feel so criminal
You make me feel guilty for something
How do you keep it together?
How do you maintain your composure?
I'm all, all unraveled
I'm falling apart completely
But you know, no matter where we are
But you know that regardless of our location
We're always touching by underground wires
We're always connected by unseen forces
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
I've analyzed you objectively
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
But most nights we've shared common experiences
And none of our secrets are physical
And none of our secrets are tangible
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets can be touched or felt
None of our secrets are physical now
None of our secrets can be materialized now
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xaccurate9227
The past is a grotesque animal
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered
I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
Who could appreciate George Bataille
Standing at a Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain? I need you here and not here too
How can I explain? I need you here and not here too
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out
I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster
Performance breakdown, and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different, but they're not
Oh-oh-oh
Things could be different, but they're not
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
'Cause they're both so mean (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And it's my favorite scene (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
But the cruelty's so predictable, (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
It makes you sad on the stage (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Though our love project has so much potential (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But it's like we weren't made for this world (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Do I have to scream in your face? (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Throw it all in my face, I don't care (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's just have some fun, let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's just have some fun (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you (ooh, ooh, ooh)
No death, no ugly world (oh, ooh, ooh)
You've lived so brightly (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You've altered everything (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
I've played the unraveler (ooh, ooh, ooh)
The parhelion (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But even apocalypse is fleeting (ooh, ooh, ooh)
There's no death, no ugly world (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Sometimes I wonder (ooh, ooh, ooh)
If you're mythologizing me like I do you (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, if you're mythologizing me like I do you)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can betray me (ooh, ooh, ooh) (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can, you can betray me (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Teach me something wonderful (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Crown my head, crowd my head with your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I need to view them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
See there's nothing to them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I promise you there's nothing to them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I'm so touched by your goodness (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You make me feel so criminal (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
How do you keep it together? (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I'm all, all unraveled (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
But you know, no matter where we are (ooh, ooh, ooh)
We're always touching by underground wires (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But most nights, we've raided the same kingdoms (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And none of our secrets are physical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
None of our secrets are physical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
None of our secrets are physical now (ooh, ooh, ooh)
@TheRealAriLove
I love anyone that is here.
@Tony-yg6bz
Why, hello there.
@ianvischansky9039
This song is too much to handle
@elizabethbennet4791
hi! my name literally is ari lol
@lucasvidana8236
Love Project
@erikrudolph5769
Even me? Do you love me too?
@hblatt45
i've never listened to a 12 minute song so many times in a row.
@marsfrysh4056
Oli
@iidoyila
THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL
AND IN ITS EYES YOU SEE
@tatertotter808
Same