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.
Steppin' Out
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wish I wasn't human, wish I was a pop gun
Get off me babe, I'm not your ride
Besides, I'm out of tickets and I mean, where's your pride?
It's not so terrible being alone
There's nothing to hurt you, except your own
Speech impediment like let's make macaroni art
Heart in a furnace, got your learner's permit
Now you're preggo wondering if you should full term it
Should you get extensions or maybe just perm it
Treats you like a pervy switch, he likes to catch, can't really pitch
He's such a bitch about humidity because now his weave is all fucked up
Tucked you in with a bedtime story, act all whorey, sports fantasy about Robert Horry
Three feet big mouth on your teet like a little tyke
I always show respect to the sluts and the dykes
And the freon boys and a banned agenda motherfuck D.O.M.A. baby never surrender
You've been a fag hag for too long
Time for stepping out in your front thong (step out)
Get off me babe, I'm not your ride
Besides, I'm out of tickets and I mean, where's your pride?
It's not so terrible to be alone
There's nothing to hurt you, except your own
I'm the wrong color but I'm on the one
Wish I was a chameleon, wish I was a pop gun
The opening lyrics to of Montreal's song Steppin' Out are complex and can be interpreted in different ways. One way to understand these lyrics is through the lens of race and identity. The first line, "I'm the wrong colour but I'm on the one," could be interpreted as a reference to the concept of the "one-drop rule," a now discredited but once widely accepted rule that states that a person with even one drop of African ancestry is considered black. The singer might be expressing frustration with being categorized and judged based on racial markers rather than being seen as an individual. The next line, "Wish I wasn't human, wish I was a pop gun," could then suggest a desire to escape the limitations of a socially constructed racial identity altogether.
The second verse seems to be a disjointed collection of phrases that don't have an obvious connection at first. However, there are a few possible themes that run through these lines, including exploitation and self-destruction. The line "Somebody just date raped me to get to know me" is both shocking and ambiguous; it could be read as a surreal expression of feeling violated or as a description of a real-life assault. The following lines, with their references to speech impediments, hair extensions, and perceptions of femininity, could suggest a broader commentary on the ways in which societal expectations and norms can be used to exploit and manipulate individuals. The lyrics in the final verse could then be seen as a call to action for people who have been marginalized or exploited to claim their power and assert their independence.
Overall, the lyrics of "Steppin' Out" are rich with cultural and social commentary, and are open to a variety of interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the wrong colour but I'm on the one
I may not fit in, but I'm still standing my ground
Wish I wasn't human, wish I was a pop gun
Sometimes I feel like I'd rather be an object than a person
Get off me babe, I'm not your ride
I'm not here to be used by anyone else
Besides, I'm out of tickets and I mean, where's your pride?
I've given all I can and I think it's time for you to start taking care of yourself
It's not so terrible being alone
There can be a certain comfort in solitude
There's nothing to hurt you, except your own
The only one who can truly hurt you is yourself
Somebody just date raped me to get to me know me
People will do terrible things to get close to you
Speech impediment like let's make macaroni art
Sometimes love can make us act silly or childish
Heart in a furnace, got your learner's permit
Love can be all-consuming, especially when it's new
Now you're preggo wondering if you should full term it
It's easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to do next
Should you get extensions or maybe just perm it
Life is full of choices, some more important than others
Treats you like a pervy switch, he likes to catch, can't really pitch
Some people don't treat us well, even when we love them
He's such a bitch about humidity because now his weave is all fucked up
Some people focus on the wrong things, even when something serious is happening
Tucked you in with a bedtime story, act all whorey, sports fantasy about Robert Horry
Some people have strange ways of showing affection
Three feet big mouth on your teet like a little tyke
Some people don't know how to treat us with respect
I always show respect to the sluts and the dykes
Everyone deserves respect, no matter who they are or what they do
And the freon boys and a banned agenda motherfuck D.O.M.A. baby never surrender
We should always fight for what we believe in, even when it's hard
You've been a fag hag for too long
It's time for you to start living your own life, not just living for others
Time for stepping out in your front thong (step out)
It's time for you to be bold and confident, to be yourself and not care what others think
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind