Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

[LemonMelon]

The recording of the album is dense, features dark tones, and an indiscriminate eclectic nature both electronically and aesthetically. The album features a wide array of music, ranging from "pseudo-country" to, to a larger degree, neo-prog.

Barnes's lyricism also returns to the confessional style heard in Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, entailing dark topics such as revenge, self-hatred, the human condition, and his painful relationship with his wife Nina. It has been called his most personal recording to date.

February 7.

Or, if you don't care to wait, it's also leaked. I have acquired it and am listening shortly.

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm not sure if I like or dislike the single.

 

[LemonMelon]

There's a single? Every song is like 6 minutes long.

I'm INCREDIBLY intrigued by the description. Skeletal Lamping was awful, directionless crap, but False Priest got them back to a sound I could dig, although the lyrics still had a long way to go. Hissing Fauna is so fucking good in that regard, and the way that they contrast with the vibrant music got that record very close to being a masterpiece.

 

[u2popmofo]

No clue if it is a legit "single", but this is the track I was referring to:

Of Montreal: "Dour Percentage" | Tracks | Pitchfork

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I like this band, but can't say that I'm too excited for this album. False Priest was ok, and I gave it a number of chances, but it never really stuck.

I guess I'll always have Hissing Fauna, which has like 5 or 6 songs that I fucking love.

 

[u2popmofo]

Satanic Panic and Sunlandic Twins were both pretty solid as well, though Fauna was definitely their peak. At worst, I'm sure this album will have a handful of great tracks. I'm cool with that.

 

[LemonMelon]

Satanic Panic was my favorite for a while, but Hissing Fauna, while somewhat abrasive at first (hated Barnes' vocals), won me over eventually. Can't say I've heard anything earlier in their discography than Satanic Panic.

 

[u2popmofo]

Check out Sunlandic Twins if you're ever in the mood, it actually has 3 tracks I listen to just as much as my favs from Fauna (Party's Crashing Us, So Begins Our Alabee, Requiem for OMM2).

 

[LemonMelon]

Check out Sunlandic Twins if you're ever in the mood, it actually has 3 tracks I listen to just as much as my favs from Fauna (Party's Crashing Us, So Begins Our Alabee, Requiem for OMM2).

Thanks, I probably should, since it came out between my two favorites of theirs. For years I overlooked one of my favorite Mountain Goats albums, We Shall All Be Healed, because it got weaker reviews than the albums it was sandwiched between (Tallahassee and Sunset Tree).

Also, tour dates...lots of them:

Feb 17, 2012 – Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
Mar 7, 2012 – Freebird Cafe, Jacksonville, FL *
Mar 8, 2012 – The Plaza Theatre, Orlando, FL *
Mar 9, 2012 – Alabama Music Box, Mobile, AL *
Mar 10, 2012 – Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans, LA *
Mar 11, 2012 – Fitzgerald’s, Houston, TX * %
Mar 12, 2012 – ACM @ UCO Performance Lab, Oklahoma City, OK *
Mar 13, 2012 – Trees, Dallas, TX *
Mar 14, 2012 – Sofie’s Saloon, McAllen, TX
Mar 18, 2012 – Tricky Falls, El Paso, TX * $
Mar 19, 2012 – Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ * $
Mar 20, 2012 – The WIltern, Los Angeles, CA * $
Mar 21, 2012 – Slim’s, San Francisco, CA * $
Mar 22, 2012 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA * $
Mar 23, 2012 – Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR * $
Mar 24, 2012 – The Showbox, Seattle, WA * $
Mar 25, 2012 – Treefort Music Festival , Boise, ID
Mar 27, 2012 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN * #
Mar 28, 2012 – The Metro, Chicago, IL * #
Mar 29, 2012 – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH * #
Mar 30, 2012 – Webster Hall, New York, NY &
Mar 31, 2012 – Webster Hall, New York, NY #
Apr 1, 2012 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA * #
Apr 2, 2012 – Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA * #
Apr 3, 2012 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC * #
Apr 4, 2012 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC * #
Apr 5, 2012 – The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC * #
Apr 6, 2012 – Track 29, Chatanooga, TN * #
Apr 7, 2012 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA * #

* w/ Kishi Bashi
% w/ Cults
$ w/ Deerhoof
# w/ Loney Dear
& w/ Hard Nips and Computer Magic

No Deerhoof or Cults here in Chicago, but I'll try to go anyway.

 

[LemonMelon]

Verdict after first listen:

Spoiler

This is indeed a dense record, but I had heard this was bordering on sound collage. It's not actually all that strange, sort of kaleidoscopic like Hissing Fauna and lacking in clear song structure like Skeletal Lamping, but there are many, many memorable moments and from what I could initially pick out from the lyrics they seemed really strong, much darker and more violent than anything since Hissing Fauna. Definitely a good album, I wish they had put this out instead of Skeletal Lamping.

 

[bono_212]

Polyvinyl Record Co. - of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins Picture Disc Edition

Thought some people might be interested in this.

From theatrical live performances to eye-popping album artwork, of Montreal has always been as much about what you see as what you hear.
And now, the band's visual and musical dimensions are even more closely linked on this beautiful picture disc edition of their beloved 2005 album, The Sunlandic Twins.
The record itself serves as the showcase for David Barnes' iconic imagery and Kevin Barnes' superlative songwriting. And it has never looked or sounded better.
Featuring of Montreal favorites such as "Wraith Pinned to the Mist," "Oslo in the Summertime," "So Begins Our Alabee," and many more, this landmark album will only be available on picture disc via this one-time, limited edition pressing of 535 numbered copies.
The follow-up to of Montreal's breakthrough album, Satanic Panic in the Attic, The Sunlandic Twins is one the band's most cohesive and adventurous records.
As of Montreal's principal songwriter Kevin Barnes puts it: "The album plays out like an electro pop opera, although no lorgnette is required. The Sunlandic Twins begins buoyant and opalescent, traversing a labyrinthine Neptune, and climaxing in a blackout darkness one only discovers in warm solitude."

 

[u2popmofo]

That's pretty cool. I might have to listen to that album tonight.

 

[bono_212]

This is fun:

Polyvinyl Record Co. - of Montreal - Songun

I really like Polyvinyl, I've decided.


Also, you can pre-order the new album here: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/store/index.php?id=2451

It's going to be released on Sea Glass Green 180 Gram. And here's the lead single:

https://soundcloud.com/polyvinyl-records/of-montreal-01-fugitive-air