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.
Spiteful Intervention
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That we need a tragedy to occur
To gain a fresh perspective in our lives
Nothing happens for a reason
There's no point even pretending
You know the sad truth as well as I
Oh god, the morning light
I can't function unless I'm the only one awake
Rancor of power
Less conversation that
Word you deform to
Handicap me then
Abuse your advantage
I'm nervous my soul is returning to crystals
Because your eyes are an agent of darkness
This is not meant to fight
It's just a bitter fait accompli
I spend my waking hours haunting my life
I made the one I love start crying tonight
And it felt good
Still there must be a more elegant solution
Lately I'm rotted in the filth of
Self-offered agonies that really should
Fill me with shame
But all I have is the manic energy
I lost my page in being
The black-stamp disciple in your heart collage
Just want to celebrate me
Need to suffer more
Face acuraletyband
Converts officiate
Divides new stratagems to
Disembowel our corptidium charactus
I spend my waking hours haunting my life
I made the one I love start crying tonight
And it felt good
Still there must be a more elegant solution
I know I'm upside down about you
Your kindness feels like blasphemy or some sick education
On the limits of humanity
So I profane the laws of some victorian garbage
And listen to you smashing up my studio again
I spend my waking hours haunting my life
I made the one I love start crying tonight
And it felt good
Still there must be a more elegant solution
Lately all I can produce is psychotic vitriol
That really should fill me with guilt
But all I have is asthmatic energy
The lyrics of of Montreal's song Spiteful Intervention examine the human tendency to only reflect on our lives and make positive changes after a tragedy or traumatic event occurs. The first verse explains how sad it is that people need a tragedy to occur before they realize they need to alter their perspective to better their lives. The lyrics suggest that people often pretend that there is a reason behind everything that happens in life, even though deep down they know this is not true.
The second verse describes the singer's anxiety and the way in which the morning light intensifies it. The lines "Rancor of power/Less conversation that/Word you deform to/Handicap me then/Abuse your advantage" reflect the singer's sense of powerlessness and paranoia. The song then transitions into the chorus, where the singer speaks about the pleasure they derive from causing their loved one to cry, despite the fact that they know there must be a more elegant solution to their problems.
The final verse suggests that the singer's negative behavior extends to their creative endeavors, as they produce "psychotic vitriol" rather than anything positive or constructive. The song ends with the singer acknowledging their troubled state but seemingly unable to discover a way out of it.
Line by Line Meaning
It's fucking sad
It's truly disheartening that we require a tragedy to happen to gain a new outlook on life.
That we need a tragedy to occur
It's a shame that we have to experience a tragedy in order to see life differently.
To gain a fresh perspective in our lives
Experiencing a tragedy can change how we view the world and our place in it.
Nothing happens for a reason
Sometimes things happen randomly without a clear purpose or explanation.
There's no point even pretending
Pretending otherwise won't change the fact that things can just happen without reason.
You know the sad truth as well as I
Deep down we both understand and accept this truth.
Oh god, the morning light
The light of day can bring fear and anxiety.
Sun rays bring my paranoia
The sun's light causes me to feel anxious and on edge.
I can't function unless I'm the only one awake
I can only operate effectively when I'm the only one around.
Rancor of power
The desire for control leads to bitterness and resentment.
Less conversation that
Talking less is sometimes the better choice.
Word you deform to
You twist and manipulate language to suit your needs.
Handicap me then
You use your power to create a disadvantage for me.
Abuse your advantage
You take advantage of your power in a negative way.
I'm nervous my soul is returning to crystals
I fear losing my sense of self and becoming something hard and unfeeling like a crystal.
Because your eyes are an agent of darkness
Your eyes seem to carry negative energy and bring darkness into my life.
This is not meant to fight
I don't intend to start a conflict or argument.
It's just a bitter fait accompli
It's simply an unpleasant reality that can't be changed, no matter how much we dislike it.
I spend my waking hours haunting my life
I'm consumed by negative thoughts and regret throughout the day.
I made the one I love start crying tonight
I caused harm to the person I care about, and it made them upset and emotional.
And it felt good
I experienced a strange sense of satisfaction from causing harm, despite knowing it was wrong.
Still there must be a more elegant solution
There must be another solution that doesn't involve causing pain or harm to others.
Lately I'm rotted in the filth of
Recently, I've been consumed by negative and destructive thoughts.
Self-offered agonies that really should
I'm inflicting pain on myself even though it's not necessary or helpful.
Fill me with shame
I should feel embarrassed or guilty about my behavior.
But all I have is the manic energy
Despite knowing I should feel bad, I'm consumed by a frenzied sense of energy and urgency.
I lost my page in being
I've lost my sense of identity and purpose.
The black-stamp disciple in your heart collage
I'm a dark figure or influence in your life, despite trying to be a supportive force.
Just want to celebrate me
I want to feel special and respected.
Need to suffer more
I feel like I haven't endured enough difficulty or pain to have earned my place.
Face acuraletyband
I will face reality and deal with it head-on.
Converts officiate
Transform and renew ourselves through formal and meaningful ceremony.
Divides new stratagems to
Create new plans and tactics to move forward and overcome challenges.
Disembowel our corptidium charactus
Remove our stagnant and negative tendencies so we can advance and grow.
I know I'm upside down about you
I'm confused and disoriented when it comes to you, and I'm not sure how to feel.
Your kindness feels like blasphemy or some sick education
Your goodness and compassion seems impossible, like it goes against the natural order of things.
On the limits of humanity
Pushing the boundaries of what we believe is possible for humankind.
So I profane the laws of some Victorian garbage
I reject outdated or restrictive rules that hold me back or limit my potential.
And listen to you smashing up my studio again
I'm forced to listen to you destroying things that are important to me, causing feelings of anger or sadness.
Lately all I can produce is psychotic vitriol
Recently, my thoughts and feelings have been intense and filled with hatred or anger.
That really should fill me with guilt
I should feel bad about the negative energy that's consuming me.
But all I have is asthmatic energy
Despite knowing I should feel bad, I'm consumed by a frenzied sense of energy and urgency.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zora Moyashi
It’s fucking sad that we need a tragedy to occur to gain a fresh perspective in our lives.
Nothing happens for a reason, there’s no point even pretending
You know the sad truth as well as I.
Oh god the morning light, sunrays bring my paranoia,
I can’t function unless I’m the only one awake.
Rancor of our last conversation - that forbidden word you deform to handicap me then abuse your
advantage.
I’m nervous my soul is returning to crystals ‘cause your eyes are an agent of darkness.
There’s nothing to fight, it’s just a bit of fait accompli.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good
But still there must be a more elegant solution.
Lately I’m rotting in the filth of self-offered agonies, that really should fill me with shame
But all I have is this manic energy.
I lost my page in being the black stamped disciple in your heart collage.
Just want to celebrate me, need to suffer more, face our puerility that comforts.
Officiate, devise new stratagems to disembowel our quotidian characters.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good
Still there must be a more elegant solution.
I know I’m upside down about you.
Your kindness feels like or blasphemy or some sick education on the limits of humanity
So I convey the laws of some Victorian garbage and listen to you smashing up my studio again.
I spend my waking hours haunting my own life.
I made the one I love start crying tonight, and it felt good.
Still there must be a more elegant solution.
Lately all I can produce is psychotic vitriol, that really should fill me with guilt
but all I have is asthmatic energy.
Jordynn Forrester
2018 anyone
Salem Blackstock
2021
Elise Pentz
2020
Shane Smart
2020, actually
Dana Alfaro0706
No, sorry.
Just 2019.
War General Gremlin
2019
Bae Cop 2027
Kevin's always judged so harshly for his work, which I guess is due largely to the fact that of Montreal is 11 albums deep, but I actually love how each album progressively pushes the limits of what defines the band. It doesn't sound like a mess to me, just unconventional compared to what I think the SHOULD sound like. Sometimes life is disjointed and messy, and when you can reflect that in a song, you get beauty.
Nokamm
The melody is ok. But it's amazing ! he sang the only words that made me cry : "I SPEND MY WAKING HOURS HAUNTING MY LIIIFE ! I MADE THE ONE I LOVE START CRYING TONIGHT, AND IT FELT GOOOD !" It's sick, he sings with so much pain and sadness. It makes me FEEL moments of my life. And more I concentrate, more it makes me cry, especially now I'm in love It's a mix of sadness and happiness at this beauty It's just 10sec that transcends me, it give me bursts of emotion, it shatters me I never felt that
AprilMelody Art
This is literally my favorite of Montreal song ever.
Mandy
@Bobby IsMyName It's Kevin's favorite song to perform, too!