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 Problem With April
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the problem with June and July
It's the problem with all of the months
Since you said goodbye
The problem with Monday is the problem with Tuesday
Is the problem with Wednesday and Thursday
Since you went away
The bills keep piling up
And my bed gets bigger and bigger
I feel like I'm being watched
And I'm forever under the weather
The problem with Summer is the problem with Fall
Is the problem with Winter and Spring
It's the problem with all of the year
Since you're no longer here
The problem with evening is the problem with morning
Is the problem with the afternoon
The problem of all of the day
Since you went away
The song "The Problem with April" by of Montreal is a melancholic reflection on the experience of heartbreak and its persisting impact on life. The lyrical structure of the song is repetitive, and it emphasizes a sense of loss that pervades all aspects of one's existence. The chorus repeats the lines "The problem with April is the problem with May/ Is the problem with June and July/ It's the problem with all of the months/ Since you said goodbye." This repetition highlights the perennial nature of heartbreak and its ability to affect every moment of one's life, from morning to evening, from January to December. The lyrics create a coherent and pervasive sense of loss that feels characteristic of the experience of heartbreak.
The song uses a few powerful metaphors to describe the emotions of the singer. For instance, "The bills keep piling up/ And my bed gets bigger and bigger/ I feel like I'm being watched/ And I'm forever under the weather." These words are evocative of how the experience of heartbreak can lead to a sense of being overwhelmed, trapped, and isolated. The metaphor of the bed getting bigger also echoes the feeling of loneliness and emptiness that comes with losing a loved one.
Overall, "The Problem with April" is a poignant reflection that captures the profound sense of loss that a broken heart can bring. The layered metaphors and intricate lyricism highlight the range of emotions that heartbreak can bring, and the repetitive structure reinforces the all-encompassing nature of the experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The problem with April is the problem with May
Every month seems insurmountable since the breakup
Is the problem with June and July
It's not just spring months, summer months also suffer
It's the problem with all of the months
A year of despair
Since you said goodbye
The pain has not diminished since the breakup
The bills keep piling up
The financial stress adds to the emotional turmoil
And my bed gets bigger and bigger
Sleep is elusive, and loneliness is overwhelming
I feel like I'm being watched
Paranoia adds to the insecurity of the situation
And I'm forever under the weather
The emotional toll leaves one constantly feeling unwell
The problem with Summer is the problem with Fall
The beauty of each season is overshadowed by the loneliness
Is the problem with Winter and Spring
No season is immune to the sadness
It's the problem with all of the year
A year seems like an eternity without the one who left
Since you're no longer here
The person still has not come to terms with the end of the relationship
The problem with evening is the problem with morning
Each time of day is equally difficult to face alone
Is the problem with the afternoon
All times of day are a constant reminder of the loss
The problem of all of the day
The person is unable to find peace throughout the day
Since you went away
The person's world has been turned upside down since the departure of their loved one
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind