False Priest

by Of Montreal

Overview

The journey that of Montreal's Kevin Barnes has been on both in music and in life over the past decade-plus has been colorful, to say the least. Barnes has gone from an ultra-twee indie pop miniaturist who sounded like they could barely get out of bed, much less their bedroom, to a half-naked ultra-pop maximalist who commands a stage and can't wait to get into your bedroom. They've probably shed a few fans of the band's early Elephant 6 sound along the way as the focus has shifted from the Beach Boys to Prince, from indie pop to capitol "P" pop. Even the fans who stuck with the band may have been put off by oM's previous album, Skeletal Lamping, which was quite graphic sexually and was half-baked and scattered musically. Hopefully any deserters will come back for False Priest, because this is the record where Barnes and oM put it back together in a graceful and fun package that's filled with super-slick and hooky songs that sound tailor-made for pop radio in 2010 (if Mars had a radio station, that is...). Unlike on Skeletal, the songs are fully realized and produced with smooth perfection by Barnes and co-conspirator Jon Brion. There's more focus and less weirdness for weirdness' sake here, too. And very importantly, Barnes' lyrics are predictably obscure and wacky, but instead of being creepy this time, they are back to being funny and sometimes sweet. It definitely makes the album easier to listen to, but even if the words were more over the top, it might not matter since the music sounds so good. Brion and Barnes form the nucleus of the group (with Matt Chamberlain on drums) and they create a funky and rubbery sound that's equally influenced by Prince, modern R&B, and '70s disco prog but comes out sounding exceedingly modern. It's an approach that will appeal to listeners who are able to see beyond strict genre boundaries and not worry about categories. The presence of fellow genre-benders Janelle Monae and Solange Knowles on the album is proof of this appeal. Any record that can bounce from the indie rock of "Coquet Coquette" to the stuttering funk of "Girl Named Hello" to the singer/songwriter balladry of "Casualty of You" and back to the bouncy pop of "I Feel Ya' Strutter" and Strokes-y modern rock of "Famine Affair" is definitely the work of someone who doesn't care about rules. It's the kind of album you wish Prince would make in 2010, the kind of album you can be glad someone is making in 2010. Though it's a little long and a couple songs veer toward filler, it's a return to form for of Montreal and more than justifies the hype and attention their live show has garnered. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	09/14/2010
Label:	POLYVINYL RECORDS
UPC:	0644110020017

Tracks

1. I Feel Ya' Strutter
2. Our Riotous Defects
3. Coquet Coquette
4. Godly Intersex
5. Enemy Gene
6. Hydra Fancies
7. Like A Tourist
8. Sex Karma
9. Girl Named Hello
10. Famine Affair
11. Casualty Of You
12. Around The Way
13. You Do Mutilate

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Of Montreal   Primary Artist
Solange   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
Janelle Monae   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
Kevin Barnes   Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer
Jon Brion   Drums,Piano,Synthesizer
Matt Chamberlain   Drums,Percussion
Nina Barnes   Vocals
James Husband   Drums
Dan Cho   Cello
Nate Gianarthur   Vocals
Roman GianArthur   Vocals

Technical Credits

Kevin Barnes   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Greg Koller   Mixing,Engineer
Eric Caudieux   Editing
Jon Brion   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Alan Yoshida   Mastering
Nina Barnes   Design,Artwork
Elaine Fong   Design,Artwork
Rouble Kapoor   Assistant Engineer
Bret Rausch   Assistant Engineer