The crowd throbs and vibrates with Kevin Barnes’ tightly packaged package. One shining beam of glitter on my right is dry humping my leg, and the person to my left’s nylon wing is obscuring my view from the hypersexual spectacle on stage. I’m wearing the person behind me like a furry, sweaty coat as the crowd methodically sways and grinds to the prog-pop fury of Of Montreal.
Of Montreal has become synonymous with a musical parade of sparkle, ecstasy and a traveling clan of alien-esque androids. Their newest album Skeletal Lamping , coming out on October 7, doesn’t drop the ball far from their shiny pedestal.
The 15 choreographed tracks are surprisingly cohesive for an Of Montreal record. Their latest foray into psychedelic pop, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, was slightly more melancholy than their newest endeavor. Skeletal Lamping upped the Ritalin and loosened the strings to create a cheerful compilation of dance tunes and brazenly sexual come-ons.
“Women’s Studies Victims” is straight out of a sketchy, lucid dream. The slightly hip-hop ending smoothes into a mellow jam about sodomizing the city called “St. Exquisite’s Confessions”. “For Our Elegant Caste” is a personal favorite about softcore, along with “And I’ve Seen a Bloody Shadow” about a summer of pseudo-prostitution. Barnes lets loose a few of his paradoxical desires in “Gallery Piece” such as “I wanna slap your face, I wanna paint your nails.”
In the grand scheme of Of Montreal’s albums, Skeletal Lamping is like mixing sex with food. Barnes’s dirty words are layered on top of pink pop melodies and fluffy harmonies. This album brings a touch more wisdom than the previous, but the band still kept some tricks up their sleeves…and pants. Let the beat penetrate, and Skeletal Lamping will be sure to follow through with a championship finish.
Comments (2)
Friday, October 3, 2008 2:15 PM
I was actually very disappointed with this album. "Id Engager" is the only song that I would consider OK. Maybe I need to give it a second try, but I thought the music was all very disconnected and didn't produce a consistent melody, or at least one worth listening to. It became a fuzzy, borderline annoying noise that I couldn't follow through with.
I think it basically comes down to that Barnes' has diverged into something separate than the
Sunlandic Twins I fell in love with. ... and how unfortunate, at least for my ears.
Sunday, October 5, 2008 9:45 PM
When I first listened to the album, I thought a few songs really stood out and the rest was a little squeamish. After a few listens I started to really get a feel for it, and now I can't stop. I agree it strays from their previous albums, especially Sunlandic Twins, but I think they brought something new and special to this one. I think you should give it another chance, but thanks for the feedback. I appreciate your musical taste.
-erin