Along with the release of their new album Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, Of Montreal also surprised their listeners with an exceptionally different sound and style.
Of Montreal is a band often characterized as indie pop that began in Athens, Georgia under the production of the Elephant 6 recording company. Kevin Barnes, the main singer and songwriter of the band, continues to live up to his prolific legacy of releasing a record annually and maintaining a high level of musicality, with this release marking their 13th album. Each new CD comes with its own slight flair attempting to branch out of the indie pop stigma that is often stamped on them.
In Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? Kevin Barnes introduces a much more mechanized and psychedelic style to the band's typical story-telling ballads. Barnes still manages, however, to showcase his ability to craft creative and imaginative lyrics. The majority of the album experiments with more complicated and crowded soundscapes.
Unlike the group's previous albums, which typically contain happy-go-lucky, sing-a-long style lyrics, Barnes takes it to the next level with this CD. According to online sources, such as Pitchfork and Canoe, Barnes had a very rough year and if you take the time to listen to his lyrics you'll get a very dejected and secluded vibe that sums up Barnes' struggles.
Barnes reaches the climax of the CD in track seven, "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal", where he belts for almost 12 minutes with intense beats, computerized robotic sounds and very powerful, straightforward lyrics. This song is the centerpiece of the album and seems to describe his struggles very specifically and openly.
"It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you," he sings "How can I explain I need you here / and not here too / I'm flunking out / oh God I'm just gone."
It includes all aspects of their new style, containing a wide range of vocals mixed with a wild psychedelic sound. At moments it seems almost too much, but is still a great way to understand and feel what Barnes' story is all about.
It ends with a much calmer track, "We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling," which doesn't contain as many musical surprises in comparison to the rest of the CD. After listening to the variety of new beats and sounds throughout the CD, it'd be almost too overtaking to close out the album with anything too crazy. It still maintains their new style but with a slightly smoother edge.
With this record they don't leave much room in the songs for breathing space as in their previous albums. Rather, the entire CD seems like an unpredictable ride through Barnes' one-of-a-kind imagination -- you may find yourself overwhelmed and craving slight reprieve from the intensity. This in turn is why the album affirms and rewards repeated listenings.
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