Of Montreal
(Polyvinyl)
Of Montreal's latest opus is, at times, a tough nut to crack. Kevin Barnes' songwriting remains as surreal, scattered and frenetic as ever, a million ideas crammed into the space of 15 songs in just under an hour. Since 2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic, this hectic formula has reaped great musical rewards. Skeletal Lamping continues this precisely flummoxed train of thought, with a jumble of techno, disco, indie- and chamber-pop bits and pieces immaculately melded into a cohesive record. Barnes himself claims that this music is best listened to all at once, not in bits and pieces, and he seems to be right. Once you get past the rush of sound input, the album emerges as one of Of Montreal's finest moments.
Skeletal Lamping unabashedly introduces itself with a bang. "Nonpareil of Favor" begins with a skipping harpsichord riff, before entering into a disco-pop passage, that precedes a big post-rock outro of distorted power chords. Get the picture? It's as if Barnes is so full of ideas that he doesn't want to leave anything out. And, somehow, he makes it work, expertly blending parts together without forcing the matter.
Sex is certainly on Barnes' brain throughout. From the "black shemale" of "Wicked Wisdom" to his reassurance in "For Our Elegant Caste," a song that someone recently remarked sounds an awful lot like the Scissor Sisters, that "We can do it soft-core if you want, but you should know I take it both ways." But sputtering r'n'b and libidinous disco aren't the only tricks up Of Montreal's sleeve. A song like "An Eluardian Instance" showcases Barnes' ability to write big pop-rock tunes, resplendent horns heralding in a melody with Flaming Lips-style hooks. On the other hand, "Gallery Piece" expresses all the lurid and mundane things Barnes would like to do to his object of desire over a throbbing techno beat and falsetto backing vocals. And "Death is Not a Parallel Move" is a foray into tricky experimental electro. Despite the seeming disparity of all this myriad of styles, the Barnes' literal and figurative voice is the anchor that keeps it all together.
Skeletal Lamping may not have that elusive, addictive single, a position previously occupied by Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer's "Suffer For Fashion." But what it lacks in concision, it more than makes up for in wonderfully original and sometimes uncomfortably personal songwriting.
Standout Tracks: "Nonpareil of Favor," "Gallery Piece" JONAH FLICKER
