Skeletal Lamping is the ninth studio album by Athens, Georgia-based band Of Montreal. Kevin Barnes said about the title: "This record is my attempt to bring all of my puzzling, contradicting, disturbing, humorous...fantasies, ruminations and observations to the surface, so that I can better dissect and understand their reason for being in my head. Hence the title, Skeletal Lamping. Lamping is the name of a hunting technique where hunters go into the forest at night, flood an area in light, then shoot or capture the animals as they panic and run from their hiding places."http

Style

In an interview with Wireless Bollinger in 2007, Kevin Barnes described his concept for the follow-up to Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? as an album composed of hundreds of consecutive short segments ranging from thirty to fifty seconds in length, with the intention that it "feel like one long piece with hundreds of movements."

In an interview with Pitchfork Media, Barnes stated that Of Montreal would continue to evolve with Skeletal Lamping:

"Musically, it is sort of all over the place, too. There really isn't necessarily a sense of continuity there. It's definitely funkier. It's maybe developing off of things like "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" and "Labyrinthian Pomp" from Hissing Fauna. It's kind of moving things in those directions. It's something that I find exciting, as it's not something that I've really worked with a lot in the past. It still holds some mystery for me. I really feel there is something I can use in that genre. It's fun for me too because it kind of goes against the kind and gentle side of indie rock. Funk music is not like that at all."

Distribution

Skeletal Lamping was released on October 21, 2008. The album was released in different formats, including conventional CD and vinyl, as well as t-shirts, a button set, wall decals, and a paper lantern, the latter formats included a digital download code for the album itself.

All items for the collection were designed by The Bee With Wheels (David Barnes) and Gemini Tactics (Nina Barnes), a coalition termed the 'Apollinaire Rave Collective'. In an essay addressing the concept behind the album's release, Kevin Barnes stated "We feel that there’s no reason to produce another object that just sits on a shelf. We only want to produce objects that have a function and that can be treasured for their singularness."

The concept was explained directly on the album's packaging,

"The goal of the Skeletal Lamping Collection is to expand the perception of music packaging beyond traditional flat, square artwork. The album exists in seven different packaging formats: CD, LP, T-shirt, tote bag, button set, paper lantern, and wall decals. Each Item in the Skeletal Lamping Collection includes both the digital album and its unique packaging of the album art.

Ideally, every object you bring into your home should feel exceptional to you, otherwise, it just adds to the clutter and chaos of your life. We feel, theres no reason to produce another object that just sits on a shelf. We only want to produce objects that have functionality and can be treasured for their singularity. Objects that can transform a room, bend the mind and inform your dreams."

Georgie Fruit

Kevin Barnes as Georgie Fruit.JPGthumbright200pxKevin Barnes as Georgie Fruit at a 2007 show in San FranciscoGeorgie Fruit is the name of Kevin Barnes' African-American cross-dressing stage persona, similar in many ways to David Bowie's alter ego Ziggy Stardust. Georgie Fruit was first mentioned on Of Montreal's 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? during the song "Labyrinthian Pomp".

In several interviews, Barnes has described the role of Georgie Fruit on Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?:

"Barnes himself has described the album as a concept album, 'detailing his transformation from Kevin Barnes into Georgie Fruit.'

...

'The transformation takes place during "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,' the 12-minute long 'turning point' of the album."

Georgie Fruit plays a prominent role on Skeletal Lamping. In the same interview with Pitchfork Media, Barnes elaborated on the Georgie Fruit's background and character:

"The character's name is Georgie Fruit, and he's in his late forties, a black man who has been through multiple sex changes. He's been a man and a woman, and then back to a man. He's been to prison a couple of times. In the 70s he was in a band called Arousal, a funk rock band sort of like the Ohio Players. Then he went through a few different phases."http

References

Artist/Band Information

of Montreal is an American indie rock band from Athens, Georgia.

History

Early years

Kevin Barnes created the band, allegedly naming it for a failed romance with a woman from Montreal.Emami, Gazelle , The Daily Californian, January 29, 2007 Barnes was the only member of the "group" prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead (Circulatory System, M Coast, Elf Power) and Bryan Poole, who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium. Together, they recorded their debut album, Cherry Peel, and subsequent releases The Bird Who Ate the Rabbit's Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.

After production on The Gay Parade, the band's third album, began in 1998, Poole left the band to focus on his duties with Elf Power, another Elephant Six band. Barnes then recruited James Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had been performing together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly., Optical Atlas, March 16, 2006 Derek moved from drums to bass, and Marshmallow Coast's Andy Gonzales joined soon after. Prior to the release of The Gay Parade in 1999, Of Montreal released a number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower. With contributions from several members of the Elephant Six collective at the time, The Gay Parade also featured artwork from Kevin's brother David Barnes, who would continue to do artwork for future albums.

Kindercore (1999-2002)

Following the release of The Gay Parade, the band signed with Kindercore Records, who released a number of singles and compilations. In 2001, the concept album Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse was released, again featuring contributions from across the Elephant Six spectrum.

Kevin Barnes from of Montreal in Sweden 2005-11-03.jpeg271pxthumbleftof Montreal front figure Kevin Barnes playing in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2005 In 2002, Aldhils Arboretum was released, with a slightly different sound than its predecessors, as the songs were more directly structured. This album marks the beginning of the change in Of Montreal's sound, with more danceable rhythms than before, particularly on the album's closer, "Death Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For You". A successful tour ensued, including the band's first trip to the UK, along with a tour-only EP.

Polyvinyl (2004-present)

Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and Andy and Derek left the band. These factors threatened Of Montreal's status. Barnes, uncomfortable with the unrest, as well as some divisions within the band, took to writing and performing their 2004 album Satanic Panic in the Attic mostly by himself. Released by Polyvinyl Records, it became one of their more successful efforts to that point. During the tour for Satanic, the Late B.P. Helium (Bryan Poole) rejoined the band. In 2003, Kevin was married to Nina Grøttland, who would also play some bass for the tour. The album marked a shift to an electronic bass, with drum machines and synthesizers featured in singles such as "Disconnect the Dots."

This style would continue to evolve into 2005's The Sunlandic Twins, which was even more of a solo effort by Barnes. Recorded in Athens, with the exception of one track recorded in Norway, it was a much more pronounced electronic album. The album became a success, mostly due to the singles "So Begins Our Alabee" and the MTV clip for "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)". The band released several collections of singles in early 2006.

Kevin Barnes recorded most of the band's 2007 release, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, by himself while living in Norway and Athens, Georgia. The album's autobiographical themes of suicide, depression and isolation was a direct product of his troubled personal life during that period. Barnes also released a companion CD to Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? called Icons, Abstract Thee.: Desperate Measures, by Matt Schild, accessed 29 January 2007 In 2007, Kevin Barnes performed five songs nude during a performance in Las Vegas. In Paris, they did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.

Dottie alexander brighton 2009.jpegthumbDottie Alexander on stage with of Montreal on January 24th, 2009 in Brighton, UK.

of Montreal's next album, Skeletal Lamping, was released on October 21, 2008. It was released in ten different formats, including conventional CD and vinyl, as well as t-shirts, button sets, wall decals, tote bags, and a paper lantern, the latter formats complete with a digital download code for the album. All items for the collection were designed by The Bee With Wheels (David Barnes) and Gemini Tactics (Nina Barnes). In an essay addressing the concept behind the album's release, Kevin Barnes stated, "We feel that there's no reason to produce another object that just sits on a shelf. We only want to produce objects that have a function and that can be treasured for their singularness." In an interview with NPR, Kevin Barnes revealed that the concept of the CD may be going the way of the 8-track in favor of MP3 downloads. David Barnes joked that fans would buy the album via MP3 download and the version that comes with an amazing sandwich.

The album reached number one on emusic's Most Downloaded Albums Chart.November 14, 2008 issue of Entertainment Weekly The video for the album's second single, "An Eluardian Instance", was directed by Jesse Ewles.

Currently, Of Montreal is working on its next album, tentatively titled False Priest,

due for release in September 2010. On May 23rd 2010, during their show at The Mohawk in Austin, Texas, Of Montreal played a new song called "Famine Affair".

http The of Montreal crew was recently featured on Janelle Monae's 2010 album, The ArchAndroid, in the song "Make The Bus." They also performed at 2010's B.O.M.B. Fest.

In recent years, the band has lent its songs many times to commercials, television programs, and films. The song "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)" can be heard on radio and television commercials (with words changed) for an advertisement for Outback Steakhouse.http Similarly, their song "Every Day Feels Like Sunday" was used in television commercials for NASDAQ.http "A Sentence of Sorts In Kongsvinger" was used in a Comcast commercial.http

"Gronlandic Edit" was used for a T-Mobile commercial which also featured the band as actors.http A remix of "The Party's Crashing Us" was used in ABC's series Ugly Betty, in the episode "Sisters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". A brief clip of the original song was also played on the radio program Marketplace in 2008. The song "Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games" was played in the Showtime comedy-drama Weeds, and appears on the soundtrack album Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 2. The song "Gallery Piece" was also used in the ending credits of Weeds. "Suffer for Fashion" was featured in the 2009 movie The September Issue.

Style

Kevin Barnes in 2007.jpg200pxthumbright Kevin Barnes singing atop a masked David Barnes in Baltimore in 2007.

The group has a style that is typical of many Elephant 6 bands due to its interest in combining musical experimentation and the basic tenets of pop, such as catchy melodies and sing-along choruses. The band's style has been influenced by not only more conventional indie pop and psychedelic music, but also by vaudeville and music hall on their earlier releases and by afrobeat, funk, and krautrock in their more recent releases.

Of Montreal in Sweden 2005-11-03 Pic2.jpegthumbleftKevin Barnes, Jamey Huggins, and Matt Dawson on stage in Sweden, 2005.

The band's style has been known to change between albums. At first, the band embraced a more simple, quirky, lo-fi indie pop sound, which occasionally bordered on twee pop. Later the band moved to a fuller sound, as seen on the concept albums The Gay Parade and its follow-up, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. These albums contain more narrative lyrics, as opposed to the rather personal lyrical matter of those preceding it, and often imitating the style of old 1950s radio plays.

2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic marked the result of an evolving change in style. The sound shifted to something more electronic, although at this point still with more standard instrumentation, and prominent guitars on most tracks, with more traditional pop and rock structures, to be further advanced in later albums and new songs. In their most recent releases and concerts, the band has fully embraced a sort of techno-pop glam image, with little of their previous incarnations surfacing.

Kevin bp.jpgthumbKevin Barnes and B.P. Helium on stage in San Francisco, 2007.

Lyrically, their style has changed dramatically throughout the years. In the beginning, many songs were narratives of personal or humorous situations, such as "Tim, I Wish You Were Born A Girl", from Cherry Peel. This style, however, changed with The Gay Parade, where many songs involve small narratives surrounding invented characters (in songs such as "Jacques Lamure", "The Autobiographical Grandpa", "Mimi Merlot" and "Rose Robert"). Others act as extracts from fictional conversations ("Advice From a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriage" and "Good Morning Mr. Edminton" as examples). With Aldhils Arboretum came a slight return to the previous writing style, except following more poppy, classical lyrical structures (such as the use of choruses, which are generally absent in the Gay Parade/Coquelicot years). This style continued throughout Satanic Panic and The Sunlandic Twins to some extent. On the band's 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, the lyrics are much more personal than previously used, with songs detailing emotions within the speaker.

Another characteristic of the band is the fusion of ostensibly gloomy lyrics with bouncy, upbeat melodies and hooks. For example, the lyrical themes of songs like "Doing Nothing" and "Old People in the Cemetery" (from Aldhils Arboretum) include apathy, loneliness and death, while the instrumentation is generally upbeat. Another example of this tendency is shown in their choice of covers; for example, Yoko Ono's "I Feel like Smashing my Head Through a Clear Glass Window" from The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower.

Side projects

True to the style of most Elephant Six recording artists, Of Montreal's members have been in a variety of side project with other bands:

*Kevin Barnes has been collaborating with Andrew VanWyngarden from MGMT, on a project called Blikk Fang (formerly Ocelot Fang).

*Kevin Barnes played keyboard for "The Difference in the Shades" on the Bright Eyes' album Letting Off the Happiness.

*Kevin Barnes, Nina Barnes, and David Barnes did a comedy tour called "A Pollinaire Rave".

*The band performed as the backing band for Marshmallow Coast on record and on tour.

*Dottie Alexander released the song "The You I Created" on the Kindercore singles club, under the pseudonym My First Keyboard. Of Montreal acted as her backing band.

*Bryan Poole has a solo career as the Late B.P. Helium.

*Davey Pierce and Travis Adams from the now-defunct emo band My Hotel Year, created the band Inkwell in 2004.

*James Huggins released A Parallax I under the name "James Husband" which featured a cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work it Out".

*Ahmed Gallab has a solo career as post-rock jazz Sinkane, and has also drummed for Born Ruffians and Caribou. He currently plays with Yeasayer.

*Derek Almstead has worked with many artists as a musician and engineer including his collaboration with Andy Gonzales M Coast, Elf Power, and Circulatory System.

* The group worked with artist Janelle Monáe on a track called "Make The Bus" in her 2010 LP The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) .

* Kevin produced Solange Knowles latest album.

Discography

*1997 Cherry Peel (Bar/None)

*1998 The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy (Kindercore)

*1999 The Gay Parade (Bar/None)

*2001 Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse (Kindercore)

*2002 Aldhils Arboretum (Kindercore)

*2004 Satanic Panic in the Attic (Polyvinyl)

*2005 The Sunlandic Twins (Polyvinyl)

*2007 Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (Polyvinyl, #72 US)

*2008 Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl, #38 US)

*2010 False Priesthttp

References