Of Montreal Releases “False Priest.” The Review.

I’ll admit it. I was getting pretty bored with Of Montreal’s glitter dance party that lasted for about a year too long. A fan of the band since the beginning, I will admit that I have enjoyed every second of their career, but things were starting to get a little repetitive. This is where False Priest (Polyvinyl) comes in. Out with the old and in with the new. They’ve traded in most of their glitz and glam for some 1970s flare. And it’s working. Even though the album isn’t released until September 14th, it has been one of the most anticipated records of the year. One really good decision the band made when making this record was bringing in an outside producer. Not that frontman Kevin Barnes hasn’t been doing a fantastic job at making their records, but sometimes a cook from another kitchen is needed, you know? That is where musican extraordinare, Jon Brion, comes in. The band worked with him to produce some of the most amazing tracks in their career so far. There has also been a few lineup changes in the band like the addition of a few more members to carry their studio sound to the stage, and long time drummer, James Husband, has left the band to pursue his solo career.

Starting with the track “I Feel Ya Stutter,” which could scare a lot of fans away at first, is a witty song. I’m not sure if there is any other way to explain it. The harmonies of Kevin’s voice for the most part are spot on. For the next track, “Our Riotous Effect,” he even does a little ‘rap talk,’ in there which oddly fits well.

Lets get one thing straight before we go any further. Barnes somehow can do no wrong. It’s pretty impossible. He is like the Madonna of indie rock. He’s always changing and somehow it always comes out perfectly.

The first single “Coquet Coquette,” which has been floating around on the Of Montreal live set circut for quite a while, is one of those songs you will want to put on repeat. It’s highly dancable and kind of sums up the whole entire record. Fun, witty, and makes you want to shake your ass. The guitar riffs in particular are extremely memorable, as they should be.

“Godly Intersex,” is a bit of an oddball at part, but it still works. Even when he sings the lyrics “We danced for miscarriages,” you can tell it’s a Barnes trademark lyric. They don’t always make sense at first glance but you know there is some underlying meaning behind it that will eat you alive until you find it out. “Enemy Gene,” features the artsy Janelle Monae who has been opening for the band and joining them onstage for the past year or so. It is a spacey and haunting song that still makes you want to dance. The bassline is very prominant in this track and emphasises the tone of the song.

“Hydra Fancies,” is a song that reeks 1970s. And that is a good thing, because that is the sound that Barnes and company were going for and it’s exactly what they were able to create. This album ends up being no less than flawless in many senses of the way.”Like a Tourist,” makes me feel like Dottie Alexander should start whipping out a keytar on stage more often (please?).The band really starts to come alive on this track, and I mean the whole band, guitar solos and all.

Up next is “Sex Karma,” that features Beyonce’s little sister, Solange. I’ll admit that the first time I saw them perform this onstage with her I was not extremely impressed. Though maybe I would have been in better spirits if I I wasn’t being beaten up by 1,000 16 year olds that happened to attend the show that night. Together on this track, Knowles’ and Barnes’ voices blend perfectly, like they were born to duet with each other. It actually made me wish she was on more than one song on the record.

“Girl Named Hello,” Barnes takes his voice down a few pitches and tries to turn into the nitty gritty rock and roll of the past though the music itself tends to be classic Of Montreal which of course, is superb. “Famine Affair,” fits in the same vein as the prior track, and though these songs differ slightly from the first few songs, it all fits together without missing a beat.

“Casualty of You,” starts out with a piano sound that will make you feel like you are going to be murdered in your apartment but then turns out to be one of the sweetest sounding songs that the band has ever created…or perhaps in indie music in general. To me this sounds like the records my parents listened to when I was a kid in the 80’s from when they were teenagers in the 70’s. Many of you know what I’m talking about, it’s very much a feeling, an echo in the piano, an emotion in the voice. It’s a familar sound in the best way possible.

“Around the Way,” brings the record back up to full dance status and the harmonies kick in again that make the song fill the room. This whole track fills the room actually so blare it loud. “You Do Mutilate?” the 7-minute track ends the record in Of Montreal style, blending most of the elements from the record into one song. That is one of the greatest thing about this band. They can touch on so many subjects and musical styles but can make it all sound as one big collaboration.

False Priest is perfect. Of Montreal hit the nail on the head again, but that’s no surprise at all, is it?

False Priest is out September 14th via Polyvinyl Records.
Of Montreal – “Sex Karma” (Featuring Solange) by ModernMysteryBlog

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Kevin Barnes Guest Appears on a New Track


It’s already a big year for Of Montreal’s frontman, Kevin Barnes, and the band hasn’t even released their record False Priest (Polyvinyl) yet. Appearing on Chuck Lightning’s compiliation, Barnes sings “Depraved Valet,” a silky jam by Wondaland artist, Roman GianArthur. No, I have no idea who that is either. But, Mr. Barnes is on it so it’s bound to be good, right?

Kevin stated on Stereogum that “Roman GianArthur is gonna be the story of 2011, he is a musical genius, a brilliant arranger, writer, performer … he’s probably a good cook as well. Just you wait Henry Higgins, just you wait — when his album drops, people are gonna drop their groceries!”

Barnes is usually right on the money with his musical predictions. Can we say Janelle Monae? Take a listen to and download the new track below. Get ready for more OM to come this year. It’s going to be a good one.

Of Montreal will also be on tour this fall with Janelle. Take a peak at the tour dates. You can get all of your False Priest preorder goodies over at the Polyvinyl Webstore.

Of Montreal Tour Dates
07-25 Jackson, MI – Land of Nod Experiment
07-30 Montreal, Quebec – Osheaga Festival
07-31 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
08-02 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
08-07 Lake Worth, FL – Lake Worth-it / Bryant Park (Kevin Barnes solo)
09-13 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^
09-14 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^
09-15 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory ^
09-16 Boston, MA – House of Blues ^
09-17 New York, NY – Terminal 5 ^
09-18 New York, NY – Terminal 5 ^
09-19 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom ^
09-21 Covington, KY – Madison Theatre ^
09-22 Urbana, IL – Canopy Club (Pygmalion Music Festival) ^
09-23 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ^
09-24 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre ^
09-26 Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom ^
10-03 Dublin, Ireland – Tripod
10-04 Glasgow, England – QMU
10-05 Manchester, England – Academy 2
10-06 London, England – Koko
10-07 Paris, France – Cigale
10-08 Lille, France – Grand Mix
10-09 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg Max
10-10 Berlin, Germany – Admiralspalast (Studio)
10-12 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser
10-13 Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
10-14 Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
10-15 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique / Orangerie
10-21 St. Louis, MO – Pageant ^
10-22 Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium ^
10-23 Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall ^
10-24 Denver, CO – The Ogden Theater ^
10-25 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex ^
10-27 Seattle, WA – The Paramount ^
10-28 Portland, OR – Roseland ^
10-29 San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
10-30 Los Angeles, CA – Palladium ^
10-31 Tucson, AZ – The Rialto
11-01 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre ^
11-02 Dallas, TX – The Granada Theatre ^
11-03 Austin, TX – East Side Drive In ^
11-04 Houston, TX – Numbers ^
11-05 Oxford, MS – The Lyric ^
11-06 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
11-07 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse

^ with Janelle Monáe

Roman GianArthur – “Depraved Valet” (Feat. Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal) by ModernMysteryBlog

Of Montreal Releases New Track, Album Release Date


The time is finally here. Of Montreal have finally spread the news on when their newest effort, False Priest (Polyvinyl), will arrive in our grubby little hands. This will be the first record that hasn’t been produced by the band themselves, as duties were taken over by, for the most part, Jon Brion. Kanye West and Fiona Apple also took part of it, and Solange Knowles and Janelle Monae also appeared on the record with guest vocals. This sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? Kevin Barnes is involved after all so why would it be normal?

It was time for OM to change their sound, which is kind of nice, especially, as being a long time fan, the glitter and dance fest was getting a bit boring when they came to New York City the last time.

What False Priest has to offer is a brand new look at Of Montreal. Currently inspired by everything 1970’s the group has turned over a new leaf. It can be heard by the recently leaked song “Coquet Coquette,” which you can hear below.

Polyvinyl Records, the band’s longtime label, already has the LP version and a brand new tee shirt featuring the album’s artwork, both designed of course by David Barnes (Kevin’s brother) and Nina Barnes (Kevin’s wife). The record is due out September 13th in the U.S. and September 14th in Europe.

False Priest Tracklisting:

01 I Feel Ya’ Strutter
02 Our Riotous Defects [ft. Janelle Monáe]
03 Coquet Coquette
04 Godly Intersex
05 Enemy Gene [ft. Janelle Monáe]
06 Hydra Fancies
07 Like a Tourist
08 Sex Karma [ft. Solange Knowles]
09 Girl Named Hello
10 Famine Affair
11 Casualty of You
12 Around the Way
13 You Do Mutilate?

Of Montreal Tour Dates:

07-25 Jackson, MI – Land of Nod Experiment
07-30 Montreal, Quebec – Osheaga Festival
07-31 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
08-02 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
08-07 Lake Worth, FL – Bryant Park (Lake Worth-It) (Kevin Barnes solo)

Of Montreal – Coquet Coquette by modernmysteryblog

Of Montreal *Terminal 5*NYC*9-18-2009

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Making love like a pair of black wizards is never an easy thing to do. Unless you’re  Mr. Kevin Barnes, the frontman of an indie-pop band , Of Montreal with  roots from Athens, Georgia. Putting on a neurotically avante-garde show is only one of the few talents that  the band possesses.

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It’s not even 6 o’clock on a Friday night in Manhattan, but outside of the Terminal 5 music venue, an army of starving fans dressed in skittle -colored clothing are clenching their sweaty fists,while agitatedly waiting for the security to let the crowd begin its flow. The intergalactic monarch and opener of the night, Janelle Monae left the fans hungry for more of her electrically  polished dance moves and nymphet sound.

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While Monae built up the acid- trip energy for the night, Of Montreal astounded  the massive crowd into another break loose lunatic spiral. Labyrynth’s Goblin king- inspired attire, retro double-necked guitar,  gas masks, crucifix, pillow-fights, confetti, feathers, oh yes, and half-naked girls in diapers joining Barnes and the band during the act. Surprisingly enough, Of Montreal brought back their  2005 album, Sunlandic Twins.  Its  hypnotizing guitars and catchy lyrics had all the fans singing along to the “The Party’s Crashing Us Now.”  Also performed “I was never young,” “ Forecast, Fascist, Future,” “An Eluardian Instance”set off an uncoordinated, free -flowing tone that the band was touring for enjoyment, rather just for the promotion of their magnetically ingenious album Skeletal Lamping. Hissing Fauna also made quiet a number of  surprising appearances.A lthough the album presents an interpersonal reflection on the front man’s tenebrous year, Barnes’ performance says otherwise. 

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 Halfway down, “Cato as a Pun “ and” Sink the Seine” manifested the sound and kicked off any melancholic taste that the  album references to. Towards the end of the set, the show was sort of a rolling sticky ball of bizarre.  Meanwhile, Barnes’ wife, Nina and daughter, Alabee  bewilderedly danced onstage sporting splashy costumes  and wigs. The  night ended with an encore and the band performing Diana Ross’s “Love Hangover”, during which Monae and  Solange Knowles joined the jam.
By Viktorsha Uliyanova
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