I Awkwardly Sing the Body, Electronic

of Montreal
The Sunlandic Twins (Polyvinyl)

I've always felt that it was peculiar that band from Athens, Georgia would name themselves of Montreal. Nothing ever seemed normal with this band and that was the main draw for me. of Montreal was a rube goldberg of an outfit; they seemed to make things overly complicated to create a simple product of a pop song. A friend once complained that there was too much going on; it was hard to wade through all the bullshit to find the pop gem that lied underneath. I, on the other hand, felt it was impressive that amongst the mayhem that ensued in a standard of Montreal song, the catchy melodies and hooks always came through. Though I never fully agreed with my friend's sentiment, it appears that Kevin Barnes is now catering to my difficult friends.

For the past four weeks I have been immersing myself in the new of Montreal album The Sunlandic Twins because I'm what the experts would call "a fanatic". With each listen, the fondness I have for albums such as Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies, The Gay Parade and The Bedside Tragedy stay strong but the identity of my darling indie pop band is being transformed. This ain't your mom's of Montreal; gone are the kazoo orchestras and noodling basslines. They've been replaced by synthetic handclaps and disco drive. Much like Luke Skywalker losing his hand in Empire Strikes Back, of Montreal has lost the human touch and have replaced it with more cold, yet surprisingly comparable, robotic feel. Unlike albums past, The Sunlandic Twins feels less cohesive, yet passes off its "electronic" sound as a concept. In comparison to the back catalog, it also seems unfittingly simple. It is too soon to tell whether this is indeed a concept or just the direction of that Barnes is taking his project.

This is really not much of a surprise that Barnes is going dance. 2004's lovely Satanic Panic in the Attic hinted at electronically forward thinking. "Rapture Rapes the Muses" was high-tempo futuristic dance piece that seemed like pure festivity, but with more listens, became increasingly awkward, as if the song was clinging on to it's mythically-charged, cabaret-inspired background. The Sunlandic Twins is Barnes' vision fully realized with such tracks as "So Begins Our Alabee" and "I Was Never Young". This is truly Barnes' vision, as he wrote and performed this all on his own, not employing the help of his usual cast of characters. With out the band, of Montreal comes off less Kinks, more Duran Duran.

While the glitchy experiments like "I was a Landscape in Your Dreams" and "Death of a Shade of a Hue" are a bit unsettling for the tried and true fans, his disco tracks are smoother than an open butterfly collar with a gold medallion nested on chest hair. "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games", with its minimalistic arrangment, is funky to death, and "Oslo in the Summertime" bounces sedately, but with undeniable charm. While "Forecast Fascist Future" is Cherry Peel vintage, "The Party's Crashing Us" is Barnes at his best, a timeless pop song that would endure in any age, era or scene.

When it all boils down, the songs are still marvelous. And despite its catching me off guard, I still eat it up. I can always count on two things, of Montreal and Star Wars, no matter how sonically different, grossly computer-animated or badly dialogued the new releases are compared to the original. It's a fault that I don't mind admitting to.

The Sunlandic Twins arrives in record stores 4/12/05. of Montreal is playing the Great American Music Hall on 6/2/05 with Tilly and the Wall and Numbers.

of Montreal: http://www.ofmontreal.net