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.
WOMEN
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mistake,
Like a mental state
Gangbanging
A sad return to the eagle-shaped mirror
I'm the kind of mannequin that cheats and
Opens its eyes to the ladies of the spread
She spoke of Jermaine Grier and freedom I don't know what to think
I took her standing in the kitchen ass against the sink
She draped me in a stole
(what kind?) I think Malaysian mink
She threw me out into the snow; I waited for the bus
Up come some values voters screaming, 'are you one of us'
I said of course man, can't you see I've got some text reconstruction?
(What does that mean?)
No clue
It must be an illicit pentagram
(What are you talking about?)
No clue
I check my shutter speed, my aperture, my domino
Can't focus, can't stop staring at the face I used to know
This life is not a prison: we are always free to go, anytime
Chinese stars, Chinese stars, Chinese stars at the rock said the rock Chinese stars
I'm trying to interface
You met me at such a dismal point on the arc
I think I understand what you were saying
About the smiles of the skulls
The spastic face was the last one
Our luck was white
I read it with my head open,
Only slightly cracked
Someone will have to close it when I'm done
Make the most out of the visuals
While walking through the woods
I noticed someone had built a house for nobody in particular
They want to destroy us
(I know)
It's time to penetrate, their fantasy
The lyrics of of Montreal's "Women's Studies Victims" are quite cryptic and open to interpretation, with a string of seemingly unrelated phrases and imagery strewn together. The song itself is about the marginalization and victimization of women, explored through a series of disjointed scenes. The line "they had painted her face like a man's" highlights society's toxic expectations of women and their 'place' in society. The subsequent lines "mistake, like a mental state" speak to society's misconception and mistreatment of women, where they are often judged for how they look rather than their abilities and intellect.
The next lines "gangbanging a sad return to the eagle-shaped mirror" describe the harm caused by society's imposed gender roles, with women being subjected to abuse, rape, and mindless practices that demean their worth. The songwriter then highlights their own position ("I'm the kind of mannequin that cheats and / opens its eyes to the ladies of the spread") as someone who has seen through and rejects this false image of masculinity.
In the lines "she took me home and spit in my drink / she spoke of Jermaine Grier and freedom I don't know what to think / I took her standing in the kitchen ass against the sink / she draped me in a stole (what kind?) I think Malaysian mink", the songwriter alludes to the relationship between misogyny and the patriarchy, and how women are often objectified and sexually exploited. The song ends with a call to action against such a system, with the singer urging the listener to "penetrate" the oppressors' fantasies.
Line by Line Meaning
They had painted her face like a man's
They had covered her face with make-up that was usually worn by men
Mistake,
It was a wrong choice made by the person who painted her face
Like a mental state
The make-up made her look like she was going through a mental condition
Gangbanging
She was being sexually assaulted by a group of people
A sad return to the eagle-shaped mirror
It was a depressing experience for her, like revisiting something from her past that she wished to forget
I'm the kind of mannequin that cheats and
The singer is admitting to being disloyal and leading people on, like a dishonest model
Opens its eyes to the ladies of the spread
He is attracted to women who are featured in magazines and other media
She took me home and spit in my drink
She tricked him into drinking something disgusting or harmful
She spoke of Jermaine Grier and freedom I don't know what to think
He is unsure about what his partner is talking about when she mentions Jermaine Grier and freedom
I took her standing in the kitchen ass against the sink
He engaged in sexual relations with her in the kitchen while she was leaning against the sink
She draped me in a stole
She covered him with an expensive shawl
(what kind?) I think Malaysian mink
The shawl was possibly made of mink fur from Malaysia
She threw me out into the snow; I waited for the bus
She kicked him out of her house and he had to wait outside in the snow for the bus
Up come some values voters screaming, 'are you one of us'
Some conservative people came up shouting if he belonged to their group
I said of course man, can't you see I've got some text reconstruction?
The singer tried to sound like he supported their beliefs by mentioning something vague about text reconstruction but actually didn't know what it meant
(What does that mean?)
One of the conservative people asks what he meant by that
No clue
The artist admits he has no idea what he's talking about
It must be an illicit pentagram
He makes up something else that might sound impressive but is actually meaningless
(What are you talking about?)
The conservative person is confused and asks for an explanation
No clue
The artist admits, once again, that he doesn't know what he's talking about
I check my shutter speed, my aperture, my domino
He is checking some settings on his camera
Can't focus, can't stop staring at the face I used to know
He is unable to concentrate because he keeps thinking about a familiar face
This life is not a prison: we are always free to go, anytime
We are not trapped and can always choose to leave our current situation
Chinese stars, Chinese stars, Chinese stars at the rock said the rock Chinese stars
It is a random line with no apparent meaning
I'm trying to interface
He is attempting to communicate or connect with someone or something
You met me at such a dismal point on the arc
When they first met, he was in a low point in his life
I think I understand what you were saying
He is starting to comprehend what the other person meant
About the smiles of the skulls
The other person was talking about smiling skulls
The spastic face was the last one
The last smiling skull had a distorted or uncontrolled expression
Our luck was white
The singer and the other person are both lucky
I read it with my head open,
He read something with an open mind
Only slightly cracked
He wasn't fully open-minded, just a little bit
Someone will have to close it when I'm done
Someone else will have to change his mind when he's finished with this topic
Make the most out of the visuals
Take advantage of what you can see
While walking through the woods
The singer is in a forest
I noticed someone had built a house for nobody in particular
He observes a house that was not intended for anyone specific
They want to destroy us
Someone or some group wants to harm or ruin the singer
(I know)
The singer is aware of this threat
It's time to penetrate, their fantasy
It's time to break down the illusion or delusion they have created
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@honeybun9077
LYRICS
[Verse 1]
It's different for girls
They've got sensitive language
They've built miles of defenses
They're not numbed by oppression
It's different for girls
From when they are children, they're depersonalized
Aggressively objectified
They want to make a scene
They want to be adored
And then they want to be left alone when they get bored with that
It's different for girls
They are mercurial creatures, not a masculine dissonance
Or sexual currency
[Chorus]
Though some of them are demons, all of them are gods
Though some demons are women
For every one psycho bitch, there's ten thousand aggro pricks
It's different for girls
[Verse 2]
It's different for girls
They don't spit on the streets
They don't piss on the seat
They don't have to size up every person they meet
Or create an elite
Or poison the game so no one else can compete
They like chaos and mystery
And they like to combine them
Sometimes they act crazy
But that doesn't define them
It's different for girls
They're not expected to fight
They're expected to sit and take some lesser man's shit
Though it don't feel right
No, it don't feel right
[Chorus]
Though some women are demons, all of them are god
Though some demons are women
For every one psycho chick, there's ten thousand hateful pricks
[Bridge]
It's different
It's different
It's different
Yeah, it's different for girls
It's different for girls
@evanwenger2405
Honestly I'm surprised that this wasn't a bigger breakout hit. Of Montreal has always been successful - but this song is so fresh, so relevant, and so extremely catchy and funky I was expecting it to really explode and reach a wider audience.
@williamrobinson4265
it was a little too obvious and I dont know if its post modern girls just want to have fun vibe was totally appreciated
I like ween and feminism so I dig it
@TheButterMinecart1
Too political for people ig
@MrBendylaw
Apparently the girls are holding their cards pretty tight.
@medotaku9360
Didn't catch on because girls don't like it when a man pretends to understand what it's like to be them.
@SomeoneCalledDana
Admittedly different from the strange fantasy of other of Montreal videos, this one works well with the song in that it has a clear statement to make—and I love it. People are people and deserve to be celebrated, love is love, and Kevin Barns is masterful; that's what I took away from this <3
@chelseacarboni6432
Everytime they come out with a new song, I get super scared because I'm afraid it might not be good, because a lot of musicians are like that... but I'm never, ever disappointed. I love this song so fucking much.
@MagicTurtle643
Agreed, however I was slightly disappointed with Aureate Gloom.... but don't tell them I said that! I love everything else they've done, OM is the best :D *looks around nervously
@chelseacarboni6432
They are! And I get to see them my 3rd time in September :3
@MagicTurtle643
Lucky! I saw them once in St. Louis for the False Priest tour. It was amazing. Janelle Monet opened for them.