Of Montreal

I've only given it one listen but it seemed...fine? some short stretches of inspiration here and there (sax solo (iirc)!), some stretches of not a lot of interest happening. also for all of his talk about it being a "political" album or whatever the concerns seemed to be more of the same.

oh the whole race angle is totally bullshit and completely contrived, I chalk that up to cynical marketing/publicity move. that's the curse of being in a band that never breaks up, if you plateau in popularity your records usually get ignored. like Deerhoof or Xiu Xiu, who continue to make amazing work but don't get the attention or respect they deserve imo. I like this record a lot because to me it sounds like after 5+ years of searching he's finally comfortable in an idiom other than rock/pop where it's not distracting or gimmicky, and his gift for melody and songwriting and arranging shines thru again.

holy shit the closing track

oh hm it didn't turn out the way i was hoping. he started rapping ffs

i don't like this very much i think. 'best since ____' is such a lazy narrative about this band anyway - their albums are so different to each other

aureate gloom 4eva suckaz

Paranoiac Intervals/Body Dysmorphia is an all-time classic. I like how he clearly follows his muse and doesn't give a fuck about what any detractors think, then moves onto the next thing leaving everyone to catch up five years later

Yeah that's the best song by a fair way

Track 3 is really great as well

Last two tracks are so frustrating. There are really fantastic things about both, but really jarring things too

I don't much like tracks 1 & 4

Hmm

Two great songs is better than the last album at least

OK I think I like the opening track now. Second half of the album is still iffy though

hmm

this is qute the grower! :D

also i think...Writing The Circles might be even better than PI/BD? they're both incredible

I wasn't able to follow it thematically on first listen, but I really like this album. If we're looking at a lot of his post-Hissing Fauna albums as different genre exercises, this is probably the one that appeals to me the most, not just because I love '80s dance mixes but because it's something that's really in his wheelhouse and I think he nails it. It's the best glimpse I've seen in a while of what a virtuoso he is.

Band sounds fantastic.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/v5opug/the-opposition-with-jordan-klepper-of-montreal----soft-music-juno-portraits-of-the-jovian-sky-

wow that's an great performance -- need to hear this now

enjoying this album, looking forward to living with it a little. "sophie" is probably the most conventional song for them on the record, can totally see it as a skeletal lamping B-side

whoa last song is amazing

really into "writing the circles..." and "plateau phase..." now -- the latter almost strikes me as an erykah badu attempt

Kevin Barnes is a genius. He should release albums more frequently

plateau phase is the best

The bass playing on "Forecast Fascist Future."

love that tune. this band is coming to Honolulu this month and i think i'm going to see them. kevin fired the whole lineup and got a new band together since they last were here, from what i've heard, which is a shame. i wonder what happened

satanic panic in the attic is straight gas from front to back, cant believe how little it was discussed in this thread. perfect summertime pop music, so much fun and strikingly beautiful in its sincerity

of Montreal should release an album...

in seriousness, while I fell out lof love with this band a looong time ago, I'm revisiting some of their better work and putting a playlist together. Despite being familiar with a good chunk of their output, there's still a lot of stuff I don't know, especially the early and more recent albums.

I've made this list collaborative, so fans: feel free to add your personal faves. I'm sure even the recent stuff has at least one good song on each album.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1153731601/playlist/0niIJHexTQ6bah96EhXTJa?si=DIu-W5TDQ365EAzkp3d0NA

i feel the same as you, going to try out your playlist. thanks for taking the time and sharing it.

Due feb/march I think. There was a bunch of Instagram stories containing previews recently. Sounded poppy and good!

thanks for the playlist DL, most of your faves are mine too. Forgot how great "No Conclusion" is.

Their early years were pretty nauseatingly saccharine/twee, but there were a couple of decent gems in there. I'll try to add some later.

their imperial phase managed to balance the early tweeness and the later navel-gazing just about enough. Sadly Barnes succumbs to both way too easily, to the point where often it's hard to tell if he's as serious as he appears to be trying to be...

turning point was whenever he fired his band (~2013?)

Well, what are you asserting occurred at that turning point?

he recruited a new live band who were possibly even better, is what happened. witness 'snare lustrous doomings'. we saw them on that tour and they were absolutely fucking incredible. end of story

I should go next time they come. Have not seen them in a long while.

Added a few faves to the playlist.

xp first time I saw em was in 2014 and they were amazing, the new band is great but the 2013 record was awful... nothing since has grabbed me. white is relic has its moments

lousy with sylvianbriar wasn't so strong but it has gained something in retrospect and is worth a return

since then his albums have gone amazing-> bad -> pretty good so he's still got it afaic

innocence reaches wasn't even that bad, just much less good with some highlights, like false priest before it

There was a Tiny Desk Concert performance where he did a couple of really amazing solo guitar versions of Sylvianbriar songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-H9Vf2Wa1c

Ur Fun
of Montreal
Alternative
Expected Jan 17, 2020

1. Peace To All Freaks
2. Polyaneurism
3. Get God's Attention By Being an Atheist
4. Gypsy That Remains
5. You've Had Me Everywhere
6. Carmillas of Love
7. Don't Let Me Die In America
8. St. Sebastian
9. Deliberate Self-harm Ha Ha
10. 20th Century Schizofriendic Revengoid-man

Hey my birthday. Not like I’ve kept up with their recent releases though.

based on the preview track, seems like a bad one! that's okay he does this. maybe it's going to strictly alternate from here on. the problemawoke sexpop/insane progge dialectic played out without resolution. maybe you cannot have one without the other. maybe I'm being reductive and spotting patterns which aren't there. maybe it's all different shades of insane problemawoke sexproggepop

I like the new logo :)

lmao at "20th Century Schizofriendic Revengoid-man"

I don't hate the single!

new anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3mOomxq-ec&list=OLAK5uy_k47gvF-4g2GKfl6Mddw85tqRt_fqmOa7g&index=7

shit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3mOomxq-ec&list=OLAK5uy_k47gvF-4g2GKfl6Mddw85tqRt_fqmOa7g

I love UR Fun. Best album since Hissing Fauna...?

it's like the 6th best since then

first 3 or 4 tracks good, never really recovers that level, decent album overall

new one is pleasingly all over the shop, and Kcrraanggaanngg!! is an anthem

WHO NEEDS A HEART WHEN A HEART DOES MURDER
PISSING ON ITSELF IN HEAVEN'S GARBAGE

so good. where r u ilm. is kevin yesterday's news already

i got around to listening to this today. it did make an impression on me and will have to play again to see if i like it.