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.
Sing You a Love Song
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dissolves into his memory
Taste of vodka on his lips
And thoughts of murder and doom
As her eyes appeared to bloom
He wanted to touch them
But was afraid she might be taken aback
They walked to the garden in the park
When it was empty after dark
Then spread out a blanket
And laid down and a voice said
"No one else could hear?
He whispered in here ear
"Although, I can't sing it now, be still
'Cause some day, baby
I will sing you a love you song?
She rolled over and a kiss
Laid softly on his chin and said
"You know maybe there's a chance
That your feelings you've mistook?
?Or have presently overlooked
You say you don't love me
But yet perhaps you just forget
That you do?
He said that
"I love you, please, believe
The only matter of concern
Is that your love will one day fade
If that should happen, I would die?
And that's the reason why
I know I can't sing it now but be still
'Cause some day, baby
I will sing you a love you song
She said, How could you question
When the root of my affection
Is so plain and obvious??
It grew from the overwhelming pleasure
Of just being near you
And now bring in doubts
And they are smothering our love?
In "Sing You a Love You Song" by of Montreal, the lyrics seem to center around two people who are considering their love for each other. The song begins with a hint of darkness, as the singer contemplates "thoughts of murder and doom" amid the taste of vodka on his lips. However, the focus shifts quickly to the object of his affection, a woman whose eyes he wants to touch but is afraid to startle. The couple wanders to a garden in the park and lies together on a blanket. He whispers in her ear, telling her that he can't yet sing her a love song, but promises that someday he will.
Line by Line Meaning
Before the laughter and the cheer
Before the happy moments disappears
Dissolves into his memory
Fades away and stays as a memory
Taste of vodka on his lips
He has been drinking vodka
And thoughts of murder and doom
Negative thoughts overpowering him
As her eyes appeared to bloom
As her eyes looked bright and full of life
He wanted to touch them
He wanted to touch her eyes
But was afraid she might be taken aback
He was scared of her reaction
Then what would he say?
He didn't know what to say
They walked to the garden in the park
They went for a walk in the park
When it was empty after dark
When there was no one in the park
Then spread out a blanket
Then they laid a blanket
And laid down and a voice said
They lied down and he spoke
"No one else can hear?
"Is anyone else around?
He whispered in her ear
He spoke softly to her ear
"Although, I can't sing it now, be still
"But wait patiently, I can't sing it now
'Cause some day, baby
"Because someday
I will sing you a love you song?
I will sing you a song about my love for you
She rolled over and a kiss
She turned and kissed him
Laid softly on his chin and said
She whispered softly to him
"You know maybe there's a chance
"Maybe there's a possibility
That your feelings you've mistook?
That you have mistaken your feelings?
Or have presently overlooked
Or have currently ignored
You say you don't love me
You said you don't love me
But yet perhaps you just forget
But maybe you forgot
That you do?
That you actually do love me?
He said that
He responded
"I love you, please, believe
"I love you, please believe me
The only matter of concern
The only thing that concerns me
Is that your love will one day fade
Is that your love will disappear someday
If that should happen, I would die?
If that happens, it would bring me great sadness
And that's the reason why
That's why
I know I can't sing it now but be still
I know I can't sing it yet, but please wait
'Cause some day, baby
Because someday
I will sing you a love you song
I will sing a song that truly expresses my love for you
She said, How could you question
She asked him why he doubted
When the root of my affection
When the reason for my love
Is so plain and obvious??
Is very clear and obvious?
It grew from the overwhelming pleasure
It grew from the great happiness
Of just being near you
Of just being close to you
And now bring in doubts
And now doubts have arisen
And they are smothering our love?
And they are affecting our love?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind