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 bandβs 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 bandβs 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 βgroupβ 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 Rabbitβs Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.
A number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbitβs Flower occurred before the release of the bandβs 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 Kevinβs 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 Coastβs 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 wasnβt 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 Montrealβs sound, with more danceable rhythms than ever before, especially on the albumβs closer, βDeath Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For Youβ. A successful tour ensued, including of Montrealβs first trip to the UK, along with a tour-only EP.
Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and of Montrealβs 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 Kevinβs 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 2005βs 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 βSo Begins Our Alabeeβ and the MTV clip for βWraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)β.
The band released several collections of singles in early 2006. Barnes recorded most of the bandβs 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 βTim, I Wish You Were Born A Girlβ, from Cherry Peel. This style, however, changed with The Gay Parade, where many songs involve small narratives surrounding invented characters (in songs such as βJacques Lamureβ, βThe Autobiographical Grandpaβ, βMimi Merlotβ and βRose Robertβ). Others act as extracts from fictional conversations (βAdvice From a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriageβ and βGood Morning Mr. Edmintonβ 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 βDoing Nothingβ and βOld People in the Cemeteryβ 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 Onoβs βI Felt Like Smashing my Head Through a Clear Glass Windowβ from The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbitβs Flower.
True to the style of most Elephant 6 recording artists, of Montrealβs 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 βThe You I Createdβ on the Kindercore singles club. of Montreal acted as her backing band.
The You I Created
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my dreams got weird
I tense up and get antsy when you're near
But nightly you appear to me
Ghostly in my head
But I never can remember what you said
It must be something reassuring
Something you would never say in real life
Where does it go in the morning?
It slipped out of my hand
Eating breakfast with my other thoughts
Away from wakeful lands
Where is the you I created?
The you that I adore?
When my eyes are open I don't see you anymore
It's hard for me to fathom
That you disappeared
And turned into exactly what I feared
But every night you sing to me
When my eyes are closed
But I never can remember how it goes
It must be something undeserving
Only in my mind
Something you would never sing on your time
It disappears without warning
It shifts like grains of sand
Galavanting with some other dreams
I didn't understand
Where is the you I created?
The you that I adore?
When my eyes are open I don't see you anymore
But nightly you appear to me
Ghostly in my head
But I never can remember what you said
In "The You I Created," of Montreal explores the complexities of dreaming and the longing for an idealized, unattainable romantic partner. The song begins with the singer expressing confusion about when their dreams started to become weird and unsettling, specifically when the person they have created in their mind appears, ghostly and unapproachable. Though the singer longs for this person, they are tense and antsy when they are actually near, suggesting a fear of rejection or disappointment when faced with reality.
The chorus of the song reveals the singer's disappointment that the idealized version of their lover only exists in their mind. They long for the kind and sweet words that they hear only in their dreams, acknowledging that this person likely wouldn't say those things in real life. This longing is portrayed as something that slips through their fingers, something that disappears without warning and leaves them grasping at breakfast with their other thoughts.
The second verse continues with this idea of the idealized partner disappearing and turning into exactly what the singer feared. However, they take solace in the fact that every night, this person sings to them in their dreams, though the singer cannot remember the melody or the content of the song. They recognize that this song is undeserving, something that this person would never sing on their own time.
Overall, "The You I Created" is a melancholic exploration of the dissonance between an idealized partner and the reality of human connection. It speaks to the desperation of holding onto something that only exists in our minds and the fear of facing the disappointment of reality.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard to know exactly
Uncertainty clouds my mind
When my dreams got weird
My dreams take me to strange places
I tense up and get antsy when you're near
You make me uneasy
But nightly you appear to me
In my dreams, you come to me
Ghostly in my head
A phantom in my thoughts
But I never can remember what you said
Your words escape me
It must be something reassuring
You are comforting
Something sweet and kind
Your nature is gentle
Something you would never say in real life
Your true self is elusive
Where does it go in the morning?
Why do you disappear?
It slipped out of my hand
I cannot grasp it
Eating breakfast with my other thoughts
Other things occupy my mind
Away from wakeful lands
I am lost in my own world
Where is the you I created?
The person I have imagined
The you that I adore?
The one I love
When my eyes are open I don't see you anymore
You only exist in my mind
It's hard for me to fathom
I can't understand
That you disappeared
You're no longer with me
And turned into exactly what I feared
You've become my worst nightmare
But every night you sing to me
But in my dreams, you sing
When my eyes are closed
When I'm asleep
But I never can remember how it goes
But I can't recall the melody
It must be something undeserving
It doesn't feel genuine
Only in my mind
Imagined, not real
Something you would never sing on your time
You would never really sing this
It disappears without warning
It vanishes suddenly
It shifts like grains of sand
It changes and slips away
Galavanting with some other dreams
Lost among other dreams
I didn't understand
I don't comprehend
Lyrics Β© OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario Calabrese
It's hard to know exactly
When my dreams got weird
I tense up and get antsy when you're near
But nightly you appear to me
Ghostly in my head
But I never can remember what you said
It must be something reassuring
Something sweet and kind
Something you would never say in real life
Where does it go in the morning?
It slipped out of my hand
Eating breakfast with my other thoughts
Away from wakeful lands
Where is the you I created?
The you that I adore?
When my eyes are open I don't see you anymore
It's hard for me to fathom
That you disappeared
And turned into exactly what I feared
But every night you sing to me
When my eyes are closed
But I never can remember how it goes
It must be something undeserving
Only in my mind
Something you would never sing on your time
It disappears without warning
It shifts like grains of sand
Galavanting with some other dreams
I didn't understand
Where is the you I created?
The you that I adore?
When my eyes are open I don't see you anymore
But nightly you appear to me
Ghostly in my head
But I never can remember what you said
Juan Garza
Such lovely song x3
Mario Stares Sternly
if this is dottie, she has a beautiful fucking voice