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.
So Begins Our Alabee
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we begin begin our odyssey
And so begins begins our odyssey
The auria is bleeding and the boyish voice is leaving
I've been an evil tenor I filled the innocents doe eyes with glue
You're my only softness you're my only pleasure it's true
And I never want to be your little friend the abject failure
And so begins begins our odyssey
And we begin begin our odyssey
And so begins begins our odyssey
The chrysalis is breaking and the super ego's waking
I've been a gloomy Petrarch with a quill as weepy as Dido
You're my mousy aesthete you're my buoyant cherub it's true
And I never want to be your little friend the abject failure
The lyrics of of Montreal's song "So Begins Our Alabee" are abstract and metaphorical, but they appear to discuss the opening of a journey, represented by an 'odyssey,' and the personal transformations that the singer is undergoing. The first stanza repeats the phrase "And so begins our odyssey," which reflects the excitement and anticipation of starting an adventure. However, the tone quickly becomes melancholic in the second verse, where the singer admits to being cruel and manipulative towards innocent people in his life. The line "I filled the innocent's doe eyes with glue" suggests the singer may have made others blind to their own innocence and potentially harmed them in some way.
The second stanza has a similar structure and continues the theme of personal transformation. The line "The chrysalis is breaking and the super ego's waking" implies that the singer is shedding his old self and becoming a better version of himself. The reference to Petrarch, a poet known for his love poems, and Dido, a mythological queen who died of grief after being abandoned by her lover, suggests that the singer is also experiencing significant emotional changes. The chorus repeats the phrase "And so begins our odyssey," with what seems to be a hopeful tone. The lyrics seem to be a reflection on personal growth and the excitement of setting out on an adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
And so begins begins our odyssey
Our journey is starting now.
And we begin begin our odyssey
We begin our journey.
And so begins begins our odyssey
Our journey is starting now.
The auria is bleeding and the boyish voice is leaving
The innocence is disappearing.
I've been an evil tenor I filled the innocents doe eyes with glue
I have done terrible things to people who were once innocent.
You're my only softness you're my only pleasure it's true
You are the only source of comfort and happiness for me.
And I never want to be your little friend the abject failure
I don't want to be your friend who is always letting you down.
The chrysalis is breaking and the super ego's waking
The transformation is happening and the consciousness is awakening.
I've been a gloomy Petrarch with a quill as weepy as Dido
I have been a sad poet, lamenting like Dido.
You're my mousy aesthete you're my buoyant cherub it's true
You are my shy artist and my joyful angel.
And I never want to be your little friend the abject failure
I don't want to be your friend who is always letting you down.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Polyvinyl Records
We’re celebrating 15 years of The Sunlandic Twins with a brand new Red and Orange Swirl vinyl edition complete with a re-designed gatefold jacket interior and 5 additional bonus tracks on side D to round out this superlative 23-song 2xLP. Order your copy today from the Polyvinyl Store (ships February 3) and bundle with a new t-shirt collaboration from David Barnes & JLP: https://polyvinyl.ffm.to/the-sunlandic-twins-15
Derek Kusa
gotta say... Of Montreal has a unique talent for working some of the most obscure English words and literary references into their music. "I've been a gloomy petragogue..." "With a quill as weepy as Dido..." Vegan in Furs is the best song of theirs for that, though. good stuff.
starcharm
this song is about his daughter, the birth of his daughter. he does not want to disappoint her as a father and shes brought so much into his life. a really beautiful song, wish my father dedicated a song to me. haha. im in love with this band
Elouise1979
every time i listen to this song i feel like jumping, screaming.. gives me so much energy. yess, it's just soooo good.
p00nsofth3w0rld
this is one of my favourite songs everrrrr the chorus just gets me going!
Dominic OfMontrealFan
This song was for his daughter called Alabee, such a great way for Kevin to show his love for his family.
J Bedz
what an incredible song. just phenomenal.
Laura Prado
that is so true! Shins have an amazing vocabulary in their lyrics, and put to good use, too. Their poetry is just unbelievable.
Scott Snowden
I feel the same way too, they're so addicting.....
Lulu
definitely one of my fave oM songs <3