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.
Your Magic Is Working
of Montreal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lose control of myself when ever you are near me
I feel myself changing
From a guy too cynical for love
Into a blushing romantic
Oh honey I'd swim across the Atlantic
Just to be near to you I'm hopping like a kangaroo
All of my friends think I'm mad
'cause I talk of nothing but you girl
How you've really changed me
From a guy thought too cynical for love
You've proven everyone wrong
Anywhere with you girl is where I belong
Everything is beautiful and you are the reason
Lately I've been so happy
Just holding you and gazing into your eyes
Like in a movie
You are a star, I mean a starlet
Listen the night we met I fell in love with you
Who'd have guessed, who'd have guessed
I'm in love, I'm in love
How you've really changed me
From a guy thought too cynical for love
Suddenly I feel as light as a butterfly
And wanting to give love another try
Everything is beautiful and you are the reason
Lately I've been so happy
Just holding you and gazing into your eyes
Like in a movie
You are a star, I mean a starlet
Listen the night we met I fell in love with you
Who'd have guessed, who'd have guessed
I'm in love, I'm in love
Baby your magic is working
My mirror's reflection is you
Looking cocky and smirking
Now your magic is working
Ooh, your magic is working
In the song "Your Magic is Working" by the band of Montreal, we find the singer expressing how they have been transformed by the presence of the person they are singing about. The singer is admitting that they have been too cynical for love, yet they have been changed into a "blushing romantic" through the enchanting beauty of their love interest. They describe how they would do anything to be near this person, even swim across the Atlantic Ocean. They say that all of their friends believe they have gone mad, but they don't care as they have fallen completely in love with this person. They feel that everything is beautiful, and the love interest is the reason for their transformation. The singer is shown to be so happy and content as they are holding and gazing at the love interest, they feel as light as a butterfly and want to give love another try.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby your magic is working
I am under your spell and I can feel myself changing for the better whenever you're around.
I lose control of myself when ever you are near me
Your mere presence overwhelms me and I find myself unable to control my emotions.
I feel myself changing
You have a transformative effect on me and I feel myself becoming a better person because of you.
From a guy too cynical for love
I used to be skeptical of love and relationships, but you have changed my perspective.
Into a blushing romantic
You have turned me into a hopeless romantic who believes in the power of love.
Oh honey I'd swim across the Atlantic
I am willing to go to great lengths just to be near you because you mean that much to me.
Just to be near to you I'm hopping like a kangaroo
I am so excited and happy to be around you that I feel like hopping like a kangaroo in your presence.
All of my friends think I'm mad
My friends are surprised by the sudden change in my behavior and the fact that I can't stop talking about you.
'cause I talk of nothing but you girl
You are constantly on my mind and I can't help but talk about you to anyone who will listen.
You've proven everyone wrong
Despite what everyone believed, you have shown me that love is real and that I am capable of feeling it.
Anywhere with you girl is where I belong
Being with you makes me feel at home and like I belong in this world.
Everything is beautiful and you are the reason
You have a way of making everything seem brighter and more beautiful, and I know that it is because of you.
Lately I've been so happy
Since I met you, I have been experiencing true happiness and joy.
Just holding you and gazing into your eyes
I could spend hours just holding you and staring into your beautiful eyes.
Like in a movie
Being with you feels like a fairy tale or a romantic movie come to life.
You are a star, I mean a starlet
You shine so brightly and have a magnetic presence that draws me to you like a moth to a flame.
Listen the night we met I fell in love with you
From the moment we laid eyes on each other, I knew that I was in love with you.
Who'd have guessed, who'd have guessed
It's surprising to think that I could have fallen so deeply in love with someone, but it happened and I am grateful.
My mirror's reflection is you
I see you in myself and I am proud to have you as a part of me.
Looking cocky and smirking
You have a confident and playful energy that radiates from you, and I love seeing that in myself as well.
Now your magic is working
Your love and influence has had a lasting impact on me, and it is evident in everything that I do and say.
Ooh, your magic is working
I am constantly amazed by the power of your love and the way that it has transformed me for the better.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KEVIN BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind