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.
The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Standing at Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster
Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be different but they're not
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
And it's my favorite scene
But the cruelty's so predictable
It makes you sad on the stage
Though our love project has so much potential
But it's like we weren't made for this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)
Do I have to scream in your face?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
Throw it all in my face, I don't care
Let's just have some fun
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
But let's just have some fun
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you
No death, no ugly world
You've lived so brightly
You've altered everything
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
But even apocalypse is fleeting
There's no death, no ugly world
Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Mythologizing me like I do you
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
And you can betray me
You can, you can betray me
But teach me something wonderful
Crown my head, crowd my head
With your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
See, there's nothing to them
I promise you, there's nothing to them
I'm so touched by your goodness
You make me feel so criminal
How do you keep it together?
I'm all, all unraveled
But you know, no matter where we are
We're always touching by underground wires
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
And none of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical now
The lyrics of The Past Is A Grotesque Animal by of Montreal are extraordinarily melancholic, describing the feeling of being overwhelmed by memories of past mistakes, and how they can have a lasting and haunting effect on a person's psyche. The image of the past being a grotesque animal illustrates how painful and horrible memories can be, much like encountering a wild and ferocious beast. The line "And in its eyes, you see how completely wrong you can be" conveys how the past can make someone see the mistakes they've made with clarity.
The next verse mentions the weather, which serves as a metaphor for the brutal and unpredictable nature of life. The line "Makes you wonder why it bothered" shows how small our individual actions can seem when compared to the grand scheme of things. The song then moves into a story of falling in love with someone over a shared love of literature but being unable to articulate the need for the person in their life.
The lines "The mousy girl screams, 'Violence! Violence!'" imply that the relationship has reached a breaking point. The character expresses the desire to let loose and tear things apart while still needing the person they love. The final line "None of our secrets are physical now" suggests that the relationship has moved beyond simple physical attraction and is based on something much deeper.
Line by Line Meaning
The past is a grotesque animal
The past is an ugly and unpleasant thing that haunts you
And in its eyes you see
The past is a reminder of all your mistakes
How completely wrong you can be
It shows you how wrong you were in the past
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
The new day is a fresh start and everything is changing
Makes you wonder why it bothered
It makes you wonder why things happen the way they do
I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
I fell in love recklessly and impulsively
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Who had a shared intellectual interest
Standing at Swedish festival discussing 'Story of the Eye'
Talking about sexual desire in literature
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
I feel ashamed for needing someone so much
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
I want you close, but I also struggle with us being together
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
I'm failing in life and fading away
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I take responsibility for the mess I've made
Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm tired of trying my best and failing
Things could be different but they're not
I wish things were different, but they aren't
The mousy girl screams, 'Violence! Violence!'
The timid girl speaks up against cruelty
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
She reacts so strongly because of the extreme cruelty
And it's my favorite scene
But I enjoy seeing the chaos and conflict
But the cruelty's so predictable
But the violence is expected and it's sad
It makes you sad on the stage
It's painful to see violence even in a staged performance
Though our love project has so much potential
Despite the struggles, our relationship has the potential to be great
But it's like we weren't made for this world
We seem out of place in this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)
(Although meeting someone who fits in perfectly wouldn't be ideal)
Do I have to scream in your face?
Do I need to be extreme to get your attention?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
I've been avoiding arguments and conflict
Let's just have some fun
Let's enjoy ourselves for once
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's be reckless and have some chaos
Let's tear the fucking house apart
Let's make a mess and break stuff
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
Let's be wild and reckless with our bodies
But let's just have some fun
But let's not take it too seriously and just have a good time
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
You've broken through my emotional barriers and defenses
And nothing can defeat you
You're strong and unbreakable
No death, no ugly world
You make everything beautiful and worthwhile
You've lived so brightly
You've lived your life fully and with vibrancy
You've altered everything
You've changed my perspective and my life
I find myself searching for old selves
I'm looking for who I was before I met you
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
As I mature and grow, I'm looking back at my past self
I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
I've tried to understand things deeply and intellectually
But even apocalypse is fleeting
Even the end of the world wouldn't last forever
Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Sometimes I think you have an idealized version of me, like I have of you
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
We want our relationship to be perfect, not real
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
See me as something awe-inspiring and exciting
And you can betray me
,But you could still hurt me
You can, you can betray me
You have the power to hurt me
But teach me something wonderful
But help me grow and learn something amazing
Crown my head, crowd my head
Fill my mind with amazing things
With your lilting effects
With your enchanting ways
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
Share your fears with me
See, there's nothing to them
And reassure me that they're not as scary as they seem
I promise you, there's nothing to them
I swear everything will be okay
I'm so touched by your goodness
Your kind heart touches me deeply
You make me feel so criminal
But I feel like I don't deserve your kindness
How do you keep it together?
How do you remain so good when things are tough?
I'm all, all unraveled
I'm falling apart
But you know, no matter where we are
But we'll always be connected
We're always touching by underground wires
Just like how we can be connected through technology or emotions
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
I've analyzed and studied you almost like a scientist
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
But we've also shared intimate moments together
And none of our secrets are physical
And the connection we have is beyond the physical
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets relate to anything physical anymore
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xaccurate9227
The past is a grotesque animal
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be
The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered
I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
Who could appreciate George Bataille
Standing at a Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"
It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain? I need you here and not here too
How can I explain? I need you here and not here too
I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out
I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster
Performance breakdown, and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different, but they're not
Oh-oh-oh
Things could be different, but they're not
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
'Cause they're both so mean (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And it's my favorite scene (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
But the cruelty's so predictable, (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
It makes you sad on the stage (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Though our love project has so much potential (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But it's like we weren't made for this world (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Do I have to scream in your face? (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Throw it all in my face, I don't care (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's just have some fun, let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Let's just have some fun (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you (ooh, ooh, ooh)
No death, no ugly world (oh, ooh, ooh)
You've lived so brightly (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You've altered everything (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells
I've played the unraveler (ooh, ooh, ooh)
The parhelion (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But even apocalypse is fleeting (ooh, ooh, ooh)
There's no death, no ugly world (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Sometimes I wonder (ooh, ooh, ooh)
If you're mythologizing me like I do you (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, if you're mythologizing me like I do you)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can betray me (ooh, ooh, ooh) (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You can, you can betray me (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Teach me something wonderful (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Crown my head, crowd my head with your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I need to view them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
See there's nothing to them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I promise you there's nothing to them (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I'm so touched by your goodness (ooh, ooh, ooh)
You make me feel so criminal (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
How do you keep it together? (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I'm all, all unraveled (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
But you know, no matter where we are (ooh, ooh, ooh)
We're always touching by underground wires (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst (ooh, ooh, ooh)
But most nights, we've raided the same kingdoms (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And none of our secrets are physical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
None of our secrets are physical (ooh, ooh, ooh)
None of our secrets are physical now (ooh, ooh, ooh)
@TheRealAriLove
I love anyone that is here.
@Tony-yg6bz
Why, hello there.
@ianvischansky9039
This song is too much to handle
@elizabethbennet4791
hi! my name literally is ari lol
@lucasvidana8236
Love Project
@erikrudolph5769
Even me? Do you love me too?
@hblatt45
i've never listened to a 12 minute song so many times in a row.
@marsfrysh4056
Oli
@iidoyila
THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL
AND IN ITS EYES YOU SEE
@tatertotter808
Same