iTunes has a problem with defining genres. Skeletal Lamping, the newest album by Of Montreal epitomizes alternative music, shattering the mold of “rock” music in which iTunes has placed it.
Instead of the more defined and pounding beats that usually accompany rock music, Of Montreal uses a lighter, somewhat muddled background beat, even for their slower, more melancholy songs such as “Touched Something’s Hollow.” Their sound is vaguely reminiscent of The Beatles during their less pop, more drugs phase, bringing to mind such songs as “I am the Walrus” or “Mean Mr. Mustard.” A more accurate description might include a meeting between The Beatles and Scissor Sisters.
Another, more disconcerting oddity of Skeletal Lamping is that many of the songs just seem to end, as opposed to conclude. Each song, exempting a select few such as the first and the last, just cuts off, jumping immediately into the next song. There is no distinction, no space, no way of knowing that you’ve changed songs except for changes in tempo or style.
Of course, a function of alternative music is that it defies your expectations. With their references to Oedipus Rex in “Plastis Wafer” and song titles such as “An Eluardian Instance” and “Triphallus, to Punctuate!”, Of Montreal certainly do not disappoint. Though at times it feels like they are being weird for the sake of being weird, for 90 percent of the time it works for them. Their complex lyrics integrate well with their strange instrumentation and bouncing beats.
One song on which the band’s style works particularly well is the last song on the album, called “Id Engager,” starting with the title, which references the id — Freud’s unconscious part of the psyche. While the song’s lyrics for the most part require the same analysis as intricate poetry, the chorus is rather simple and catchy, creating a musical balance between a light, playful background and teasing, carefree lyrics. Though the message, entombed in the chorus as “Can’t help it if it’s true, don’t want to be your man, just want to play with you,” is anything but wholesome, it certainly is identifiable, as many of Of Montreal’s listeners have probably found.
Their off-color style, however, doesn’t work quite as well in “Women’s Studies Victims” as it does in many of their other songs. It is slower and creepier, at times echoing as though it is being played through very old speakers in a very large room. Different parts of the song are incongruous with each other, and though it fits in well with their overall sound, a lack of cohesiveness makes it hard to listen to.
Overall Skeletal Lamping is one of those albums you truly have to be in the mood to listen to. Its lyrics force the listener to think, to actively listen to understand them. It is not for passive listeners or for background music. It is not for the faint of heart or for the simplicity of the radio. It doesn’t fit with generic standards or with mainstream concepts of good music. It is alternative in the best sense of the word, expanding the reaches of music far beyond the lowest common denominator that has become so prevalent in popular music.
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