Of Montreal

Only people saying that are industry people. Longer you take between albums, more attention each one gets. Of course the risk you take is the public forgetting about you completely, which I wouldn't take over being a working band and keeping up a regular touring/recording schedule. If you wait years between records, you could get a hiatus bump like Fleet Foxes, LCD, Vampire Weekend... or you could just vanish. I really admire bands that just keep working.

I was speaking more on the creative side. some of the albums feel like the songs needed more time to bake properly, or for him to realize the material wasn't that special

I could understand that point of view more if it really did feel like he was just churning them out say annually, with the extra EP, in the way someone like Luke Haines does. Or like Ray Davies in the 70s, flitting from bloated concept album to next with no space to breathe. I don't think the albums have sounded any less focused as a consequence of coming out at these regular intervals.

I find it interesting that opinions will vary though, where on here you might see someone bat for Aureate Gloom, whereas other fans may see it as a tune-free low-point (I like it). I like that he's leaving behind all these albums which may take a few years to appreciate.

xp I agree. and I suspect he's of the mind that you gotta keep working or you'll be forgotten. a band like that is always in a precarious place. by touring regularly especially, he's kept a healthy fanbase, even if the records are neglected. and I guess he feels a need to have something new for those tours and not rest on his laurels, also he's obviously so prolific and not content to stay in one spot for too long. the 'live band in a room' period only lasted 2 or 3 years.

xp tbf he has done that, last full length LP was in 2016, and last year he put out a (really good) EP, in addition to a Hissing Fauna reissue.

his live band was absolutely incredible btw

I mean that the album appears every 18 months and pretty much as a routine there's an EP which follows about six months later, most likely from the same sessions. He's been doing that since at least Hissing.

I mean a healthy routine, not simply by rote

yeah i've seen of Montreal 3 times, in 2014, 2015, and 2017. all three were really extravagant shows: props, lights, half a dozen costume changes... and all three were totally different from each other, presentation and setlists. last year was especially sweet, he was fully in the EDM mode, all the backup players behind these huge LED platforms, he was in drag the whole time.

man needs to take a break i reckon. just can't abide much he's released since ooh.. a bit after Skeletal Lamping. I am kind of interested in the description of this new one though

Yeah if he stops making albums I'm into then I guess he should just stop

by my count, since Skeletal Lamping he's released two amazing albums, one good album and two slightly shonky albums. this does not count any EPs or whatnot

proceed, kevin

It would be alright if he'd released two amazing albums (Skeletal Lamping was 10 years ago, sure, but god it feels like less time than that and to have released FIVE more full-lengths, a bunch of comps and a handful of EPs just seems ridiculous for the kind of music he makes).

Skeletal Lamping is great, one of his best
False Priest isn't liked as much as others for reasons I don't get, it's my personal favorite
thecontrollersphere is great
Paralytic Stalks is tough to get into, but does some amazing things
Daughter of Cloud is a bit uneven (as would be expected for a collection of rarities and unrealeased tracks) but has some great songs
Lousy with Sylvianbriar is very good, though it feels like this is the point where it gets a bit less interesting
Aureate Gloom is an ok album with one amazing track (Empyrean Abattoir)
Innocence Reaches is fine. I listened to it a bunch of times when it was released, but never really felt to urge to revisit.
Rune Husk - I know I listened to this, but I don't really remember much about it.

So yeah, a pretty good 10 year run, but it seems like he's been dropping off the last couple of years. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see him release another amazing album though.

I dropped off after Paralytic Stalks. It just sounded like a parody of everything that made Hissing / Skeletal so great > complex arrangements but WAY too complex and never settling in place for more than 5 seconds, plus LOTS of whingeing and preciousness. Tried giving the others a listen when they came out (Rune Husk? Didn't even realise this existed) but it was just 'ach I can't bear this any more'

Otm.

the first couple post-Hissing Fauna records really suffer from his trying to build conceptually from the second half of that album, to pretty smdh-y results

the whole Georgie Fruit conceit is pretty nuts and would absolutely NEVER fly today (although this isn’t really borne out in the lyrics, just the press releases)

it was nuts but just totally off the scale down-the-rabbit hole loopy that it worked. you're right, it wouldn't work today without coming under fire from a million blogs

I don't think there are a million blogs keeping track of what of Montreal is up to these days

There was a time for me where Kevin Barnes was like...I couldn't believe what he was doing. Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna. The Sunlandic Twins is my favorite album from this century. I lost interest in the period after that but have liked this and that and I kinda neat to catch up.

kinda NEED to catch up

Love this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwYiB4XPRiM

the new album is great. I lost interest around False Priest, never listened to Paralytic Stalks (though I'm positive that one is going to undergo some serious critical reevaluation, much like Pinkerton or Adore), and he totally lost me with the garage rock albums with unbelievably awful & ugly album covers. though they've always been an amazing live band. but the new one is really great, his idea to make an album of "extended club mixes" worked. it's not a total break from the past like the previous EDM records (which I also never listened to, but when I saw them last year, those songs sounded great), it's actually a lot closer to the core, the heart music that defines of Montreal: Prince.

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.