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 Do Mutilate
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're gonna celebrate our emotional poverty
Giving answers all away
I painted my suitcase red for the reading
Which only ended in conversation break
All I want, genetic telephonic pills
Until the Spanish kids got so ill I was homeschooled
Never seen corpses act so cruel
The self-brutality was oh so angular
I made him a potion in a newspaper called
Smiled, gimme a shrug, said I was a fuck up
Now I see your face selling Chinese urine
She came over the fence
With an argument in her head, no empathy
Escape strategy, I understood her
We were trying to share a genuine human moment
Just like the way they do in movies
I'm in a war with this suicidal depression
It's not the star I'm trying to call
I've been standing on this strand far too long y'all (far too long)
Go ahead, go ahead
Whatcha want?
Somebody that will slap away your blindness?
Whatcha want?
Somebody who will corrupt your heart with too much kindness?
Salute your Busta Rhyme-ness
She met a black man in Chicago
My superwoman licked it
I don't need a on that shit
I need something that works, motherfucker
I wonder were you flattered
I tried to get you drunk
I know you're collecting disciples
I know you want to be the godmother of soul punk
Someday, someday
There are skyscrapers for you, Jane
Never use your given name
I wanna snatch you up for a sequel
Make you feel like godless people
Always knew you were special, your best friend told me he saw you crying
Everybody wants to crescendo, take home a memento
We tried isolate xx infinite pleasure x-y
I still want the family secret
Or a symptom of some wilderness hate
Ceremony custodian for experimental post-human relationships in fact
Tr to isolate xx infinite pleasure x-y
Ineffectually
I'm not allowed to show the pain
Not allowed to expose the pain
I still want the family secret
Or a symptom of some wilderness hate
Ceremony custodian or experimental post-human relationships in fact
We tried to isolate xx infinite pleasure x-y
Ineffectually
I'm not allowed to show the pain
Not allowed to expose the pain
All the white people from my neighborhood are dead
All the black people have turned pink for the winter
Everybody's searching for a cause, a reason to blow themselves up
Could be anything
When will certain people realize, an afterlife is nothing to live for
Nothing to die for, nothing to fight for
If those in this life are not sacred, then nothing that's a part of it is sacred either
If you think God is more important than your neighbor, you're capable of terrible evil
If you think some prophet's words are more important
Than your brother and your sister
You're ill and you're wrong
You're wrong
"You Do Mutilate" by of Montreal is a song that speaks of emotional poverty, and how people try to fill the void with materialistic things or self-harm. The lyrics convey a sense of confusion and vulnerability, as if the singer is trying to make sense of the world around them but struggling to do so. They speak of trying to connect with others, but feeling like they are failing in their attempts to do so.
The song touches on themes such as depression, suicide, and societal issues like racism and religion. The lyrics suggest that people may be searching for something to believe in, but are looking in the wrong places. The line, "If you think God is more important than your neighbor, you're capable of terrible evil," serves as a powerful reminder to prioritize human connection and empathy over rigid beliefs.
Overall, "You Do Mutilate" is a haunting and introspective song that encourages the listener to reflect on their own values and priorities.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, you do mutilate
You are harming others emotionally or mentally.
We're gonna celebrate our emotional poverty
We are going to glorify our lack of emotional depth.
Giving answers all away
Giving away too much information too soon.
I painted my suitcase red for the reading
I have prepared to stand out or impress someone.
Which only ended in conversation break
Which resulted in the dialogue stalling.
All I want, genetic telephonic pills
All I want are solutions that can be prescribed over the phone.
Until the Spanish kids got so ill I was homeschooled
Until the point where I was forced to homeschool due to an illness outbreak.
With a knife in my shoe
With a weapon on hand or hidden on myself.
Never seen corpses act so cruel
I have never witnessed dead bodies behave so horribly.
The self-brutality was oh so angular
The self-inflicted pain was intense and unforgiving.
I made him a potion in a newspaper called
I created something secretive or questionable.
Smiled, gimme a shrug, said I was a fuck up
The person didn't take me seriously, brushed it off and called me a screw-up.
Now I see your face selling Chinese urine
I now see you in a very unflattering or dishonest light.
She came over the fence
Someone came into my personal space or property uninvited.
With an argument in her head, no empathy
She was not listening to me, was closed off or uninterested in my point of view and feelings.
Escape strategy, I understood her
I was aware of her reasons for disengaging from me and could see why.
We were trying to share a genuine human moment
We were attempting to connect on a personal and authentic level.
Just like the way they do in movies
Like a romantic or idealized version of reality portrayed in movies.
I'm in a war with this suicidal depression
I'm struggling with severe depression that can be life-threatening.
It's not the star I'm trying to call
I am not seeking attention or fame for this issue but rather trying to get help.
I've been standing on this strand far too long y'all (far too long)
I have been enduring this situation for far too extended, and it's overwhelming me.
Whatcha want? Somebody that will slap away your blindness?
Do you want someone who will make you see the truth, even if it's harsh?
Whatcha want? Somebody who will corrupt your heart with too much kindness?
Do you want someone who will enable you with softness and affection?
Salute your Busta Rhyme-ness
Acknowledge and admire your unique or impressive qualities or abilities.
She met a black man in Chicago
She had an encounter or romantic experience with a black man in Chicago.
My superwoman licked it
The woman I admire or love approved of the situation or person in question.
I don't need a on that shit
I do not need to focus on that topic or concept.
I need something that works, motherfucker
I need an effective or useful solution or method.
I wonder were you flattered
I pondered whether you were pleased or impressed by something I did.
I tried to get you drunk
I attempted to lower your inhibitions to a point where I could influence or connect with you better.
I know you're collecting disciples
I know you are trying to recruit or cultivate followers or supporters.
I know you want to be the godmother of soul punk
I know you aspire or desire to have a significant or influential role in a cultural movement or community.
Someday, someday
One day or in the future, this situation or dream might come true.
There are skyscrapers for you, Jane
You have many impressive or noteworthy opportunities ahead of you.
Never use your given name
Always hide or mask your true identity or background, especially in certain situations.
I wanna snatch you up for a sequel
I want to keep you around or take you with me for future endeavors or experiences.
Make you feel like godless people
Make you feel free or liberated from societal or religious expectations or constraints.
Always knew you were special, your best friend told me he saw you crying
I have always felt that you were unique or gifted, and your close friend validated this by exposing your vulnerability or pain to me.
Everybody wants to crescendo, take home a memento
Everyone wants to achieve or create something memorable or significant they can keep forever.
We tried isolate xx infinite pleasure x-y
We attempted to extract or create joy or ecstasy in a particular way or formula.
I still want the family secret
I am still seeking to uncover or discover something that is hidden or unknown within my family or background.
Or a symptom of some wilderness hate
Or a manifestation of a deep-seated anger or resentment towards the world or oneself.
Ceremony custodian for experimental post-human relationships in fact
In reality, I am the keeper of a procedure or method for testing new kinds of human relationships or interactions.
Ineffectually
Without producing the intended result or outcome.
I'm not allowed to show the pain
I am not permitted or allowed to express the hurt or suffering I am experiencing.
Not allowed to expose the pain
I am forbidden or prohibited from revealing or discussing the pain or trauma I have endured.
All the white people from my neighborhood are dead
All the non-black people from my area are no longer alive.
All the black people have turned pink for the winter
All the black people have become lighter or paler during the colder season.
Everybody's searching for a cause, a reason to blow themselves up
Everyone is seeking something to believe in or a justification to go to extreme lengths or self-destructive behavior.
Could be anything
It could be any explanation or motivation for this behavior or belief.
When will certain people realize, an afterlife is nothing to live for
Some individuals need to comprehend that focusing on the afterlife to the extent that they forget the present life is futile.
Nothing to die for, nothing to fight for
There are no causes or beliefs worth dying or fighting for in this belief system.
If those in this life are not sacred, then nothing that's a part of it is sacred either
If some people are not esteemed, respected, or protected in this existence, then nothing can come out of this lifestyle that is sacred.
If you think God is more important than your neighbor, you're capable of terrible evil
If someone places the importance of their religion over the welfare and protection of their society, they can commit extreme wrongdoing.
If you think some prophet's words are more important
If someone values the words of a religious figure over the security and prosperity of their community.
Than your brother and your sister
More than the well-being or humanity of your brethren or fellow humans.
You're ill and you're wrong
You have a flawed or harmful perspective or mindset, and it is detrimental to yourself and others.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kevin L Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind