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.
She Ain't Speakin' Now
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sit frozen holding your hand
Though I'm trying to think only
Positive thoughts I understand
That place tomorrow
May not be there tomorrow, then
Your eviscerating, suffering will end
[Chorus]
Girl with the flu, I hear the death rheum
She ain't doin' well
Her eyes they seem cast and fatherless
Her psyche's cracked or
Anyhow, She ain't speakin' now
Nightfall, like some leaden sea
Dilates as I hold vigil by your bed
Watching the pillowcase soaking with sweat around your head
I can't repel this sneaking veil of morbidity
That's disfiguring the serif of your face
Oh, the organism's been debased
[Chorus]
You scream that the books
Are fallin' off of the shelf onto you
But I can see them
Your hallucination ravings
I'm writing them all down so
You can see read them
When your mind no longer aches
And your febrility breaks
Girl with the flu, I hear the death rheum
She ain't doin' well
Her eyes they seem cast and fatherless
Her psyche's shattered or
Anyhow, She ain't speakin' now]
The song "She Ain't Speakin' Now" by of Montreal is a poignant and emotional track that tells the story of someone sitting by the bedside of a sick loved one. The singer sits frozen, holding the hand of the person they care for, and struggles to remain positive despite knowing that their future is uncertain. The chorus repeats the phrase "girl with the flu" and describes the sick person's suffering and the toll it takes on their mental state. The singer is desperate to find a way to help, but they can only watch as the illness ravages their loved one's body and mind.
The lyrics are full of striking and powerful imagery, from the sepulchral tableau of the opening lines to the sneaking veil of morbidity that disfigures the sick person's face. The singer is haunted by the sounds and sights of their loved one's suffering, from the death rheum in their eyes to their hallucination ravings. Despite all this, the song ends on a note of hope, with the singer writing down their loved one's words so they can read them when they recover.
Line by Line Meaning
Like some sepulchral tableau
I'm sitting here in this eerie moment like a deathly display.
I sit frozen holding your hand
Your hand is clammy, and I'm too scared to let go.
Though I'm trying to think only
You're sick, and I'm trying to feel positive only.
Positive thoughts I understand
I understand what the positive thoughts could be.
That place tomorrow
I hope you'll live long enough to be somewhere else tomorrow.
May not be there tomorrow, then
Because you might not make it until tomorrow, that place might not exist anymore.
Your eviscerating, suffering will end
The pain you're feeling will eventually disappear.
Oh, will you ever be yourself again?
Will you ever get back to your normal life again?
[Chorus]
But the girl with the flu is just not doing well at all.
Her eyes they seem cast and fatherless
Her eyes seem to have no focus or guidance.
Her psyche's cracked or
Her psyche is severely damaged right now.
Anyhow, She ain't speakin' now
She's not saying anything or communicating with me.
Nightfall, like some leaden sea
The night falls heavily, like an immovable ocean.
Dilates as I hold vigil by your bed
I watch closely and carefully by your bedside.
Watching the pillowcase soaking with sweat around your head
Your sweat is soaking the pillowcase, and I'm watching you suffer.
I can't repel this sneaking veil of morbidity
I cannot shake off the feeling of morbidness that fills this room.
That's disfiguring the serif of your face
It's changing your face, making you look different.
Oh, the organism's been debased
Your body has been weakened and debased by this illness.
[Chorus]
But the girl with the flu is just not doing well at all.
You scream that the books
You're screaming that the books are falling on you.
Are fallin' off of the shelf onto you
You think books are falling from the shelf and onto you.
But I can see them
But I don't see the books anywhere.
Your hallucination ravings
I know that you're hallucinating.
I'm writing them all down so
I'm writing everything you say down so that you can read them later.
You can see read them
You can read them after you feel better when your mind is clear again.
When your mind no longer aches
When you're no longer sick and your mental state returns to normal.
And your febrility breaks
And you're not feverish and feeling hot anymore.
[Chorus]
But the girl with the flu is just not doing well at all.
Her eyes they seem cast and fatherless
Her eyes seem to have no focus or guidance.
Her psyche's shattered or
Her psyche is severely damaged right now.
Anyhow, She ain't speakin' now
She's not saying anything or communicating with me.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kevin Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Társis Moreira
Of Montreal is fantastic because every single album is a different album... They break our expectation of being the same! LOVE them!
Raissa Queiroz
amo demais ♥
Julia SaintJohn
Love it!
Daphnée Dunleavy
Love it !!
launderground
we love of montreal.
Mario Calabrese
Girl with the flu, I hear the death rhuem
She ain't doin' well
HER EYES THEY SEEM CAST AND FATHERLEEEEEEEEEEEEESS
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Adan Trindade
Amazing! It album totally complet. Grazie per i canzioni. S2 Brasil
qwerrtyy1
just amazing
Tuesday
Maybe the best thing I've ever heard
daedrmr2dae
can totally hear the Bowie influence with this song