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.
You've Got a Gift
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On everyone you know.
You're rubbing off on me,
I can feel your incredible glow.
I can hear your happy voice in other people's voices.
I can hear your beautiful voice sometimes when I speak.
You've got a special gift.
Just by hanging around?
I can see how you sweetened up
Both of your grumpy roommates.
Now they even say hello
When we pass on the street.
I find joy in simple things ever since I met you.
I never get the chance just to tell you
How out of sight you are.
You've got a special gift.
Do you see how you're changing the world
Just by hanging around?
The song "You've Got a Gift" by of Montreal is an ode to someone who has an incredibly positive impact on the people around them. The lyrics suggest that this person is so infectiously happy that they "rub off" on everyone they know. The singer admires this person's constant positivity and sees how it has changed those around them for the better. It's rare to find someone who has such a transformative effect on those in their life, and the song celebrates the profound impact that this person has had.
The lyrics also suggest that the person has the ability to lift the mood of those around them with just their presence. They are described as having an "incredible glow" and their "happy voice" can be heard in others. The singer notes that they find joy in simple things since meeting this person and believes that they are truly "out of sight."
Overall, the lyrics of "You've Got a Gift" celebrate the power of positivity and recognize the impact that one person can have on the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see that you're rubbing off
I have noticed that your positive vibes and personality traits are influencing those around you
On everyone you know.
This effect is not limited to a single individual but extends to everyone who knows you
You're rubbing off on me,
Your uplifting attitude and perspective is also impacting me personally
I can feel your incredible glow.
Your aura of happiness and positivity is palpable and contagious
I can hear your happy voice in other people's voices.
Even in other people's speech, I hear echoes of your infectious joy and optimism
I can hear your beautiful voice sometimes when I speak.
Sometimes I even hear a hint of your lovely voice when I myself am speaking
You've got a special gift.
Your natural inclination towards positivity and ability to bring happiness to those around you is truly remarkable
Do you see how you're changing the world
You may not even realize the profound impact you are making on the people in your life and in turn, the world
Just by hanging around?
Simply by being yourself and existing in the world, you have the power to make it a better place
I can see how you sweetened up
I have observed how you have managed to bring positivity and goodness even to those who may have previously been grumpy or negative in nature
Both of your grumpy roommates.
In fact, your influence extends to everyone in your immediate circle, including those who may have been difficult to deal with before
Now they even say hello
As a result of your presence and influence, these individuals have even started to change their behavior and become friendlier
When we pass on the street.
This change has not been limited to a specific location, but rather extends to all our interactions, even when we are out in public
I find joy in simple things ever since I met you.
Being around you has made me appreciate the little things in life and has brought me more happiness than I could have imagined
I never get the chance just to tell you
I have not had the opportunity to express in words just how much your presence and influence means to me
How out of sight you are.
Your unique ability to bring light and positivity to the world is truly remarkable and awe-inspiring
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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