Taylor's Choice:
Of Montreal - False Priest
My first exposure to Of Montreal, the 2007 near-classic Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?, was one of the most mind-bending, pervertedly enjoyable listening experiences of my life. Even today the album holds a special place in my heart, and through delving deeper into their discography I've gained a better understanding of the band, and the changes they've made over the years are astounding. Since the aforementioned album they've stuck to a distinct sound that has made them the unique band that they are today; a combination of danceable, disco-esque beats, funky Beatle-esque basslines, blaring synths, Kevin Barnes' hilariously garish vocals, and astoundingly abstract, ridiculously sexual lyrical themes.
Their last album, 2008's Skeletal Lamping, while highly enjoyable, was an incredibly indulgent album, and oftentimes feels exhausting to listen to. False Priest continues this wild approach, but it feels a bit more tame than the last one. Albeit, it's still crazier music than that of any other band's today, but for Of Montreal, the album is a bit of a letdown because it feels... too safe. A number of little decisions here feel tacked on and ill-conceived, like Solange Knowles' guest spot on "Sex Karma," one of the album's weaker songs. The production here is also a lot less adventurous, and while a lot of the songs still carry that signature Of Montreal spirit, some (especially near the end) feel draggy instead of lively. And listening to the album reveals another unpleasant fact: This post-Hissing Fauna sound is starting to lose steam. While there are sparks of newness during parts of the album, one can only hope that those are seeds being planted for the band to reinvent themselves again on the next album. Even the album's highs feel lesser then on previous albums, and the lows, while small in number, feel pretty lacking. 2005's The Sunlandic Twins saw the group blossoming into something beautiful by scraping off bits of their old sound and injecting newer elements, and that album felt weaker compared to the previous stunner Satanic Panic In the Attic; maybe False Priest, like Sunlandic Twins, is an embryonic album, a slight promise of things to come.
Despite my somewhat cold commentary, I still enjoyed the album. It's fun and crazy just like Of Montreal's other works, but on it Kevin Barnes sacrifices some of the artistic restraint (for lack of a better word, probably not the right one for a guy like him) that made previous albums so stunning. Disappointing for sure, but not lacking in enjoyability.
Their last album, 2008's Skeletal Lamping, while highly enjoyable, was an incredibly indulgent album, and oftentimes feels exhausting to listen to. False Priest continues this wild approach, but it feels a bit more tame than the last one. Albeit, it's still crazier music than that of any other band's today, but for Of Montreal, the album is a bit of a letdown because it feels... too safe. A number of little decisions here feel tacked on and ill-conceived, like Solange Knowles' guest spot on "Sex Karma," one of the album's weaker songs. The production here is also a lot less adventurous, and while a lot of the songs still carry that signature Of Montreal spirit, some (especially near the end) feel draggy instead of lively. And listening to the album reveals another unpleasant fact: This post-Hissing Fauna sound is starting to lose steam. While there are sparks of newness during parts of the album, one can only hope that those are seeds being planted for the band to reinvent themselves again on the next album. Even the album's highs feel lesser then on previous albums, and the lows, while small in number, feel pretty lacking. 2005's The Sunlandic Twins saw the group blossoming into something beautiful by scraping off bits of their old sound and injecting newer elements, and that album felt weaker compared to the previous stunner Satanic Panic In the Attic; maybe False Priest, like Sunlandic Twins, is an embryonic album, a slight promise of things to come.
Despite my somewhat cold commentary, I still enjoyed the album. It's fun and crazy just like Of Montreal's other works, but on it Kevin Barnes sacrifices some of the artistic restraint (for lack of a better word, probably not the right one for a guy like him) that made previous albums so stunning. Disappointing for sure, but not lacking in enjoyability.
Hipster Rating:
7.0
Friend Review:
Hey-o!
I feel like I hold a lot of unpopular opinions regarding music (Make Believe is a pretty good album, Loveless is unlistenable, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album is amazing… Actually, these are pretty much just things where I disagree with Taylor, I have no idea how they survive in general… ‘cept the Make Believe thing, everyone hates that album and I’m not sure why), and this theory holds true with Of Montreal. Many moons ago, I asked Taylor for some new music to listen to and he told me to check out Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I immediately asked him what I did to wrong him in such a way that he would suggest that album to me. Apparently everyone loves that album, I dunno man. But anyways, I kinda developed this opinion that Of Montreal is weird, flamboyant, bright, vivid, and generally obnoxious. Generally, this holds true for False Priest. However, contrary to how negative my words may seem, I don’t find this album awful. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, so if you’re the kind of person who tends to side with me more than Taylor I doubt you will really enjoy this album. If you dig Of Montreal’s past stuff, who knows. I heard this album is less electronic than their past stuff (man, who knows what I’d have given this if it was super electronic) so y’know, keep that in mind. My favorite track was “Famine Affair”, probably the most “normal” of the bunch. Which says a lot about me more than anything. I also really loved “Our Riotous Defects”, particularly the speaking parts which is a bit strange of me. Anyways, feel free to give this a shot, but prepared for in-your-face pop with hyperactive vocals and bright music. If this music could be visually represented, it’d be represented by a rainbow in the background with fireworks in the foreground.
“X of the Year” post tomorrow!
I feel like I hold a lot of unpopular opinions regarding music (Make Believe is a pretty good album, Loveless is unlistenable, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album is amazing… Actually, these are pretty much just things where I disagree with Taylor, I have no idea how they survive in general… ‘cept the Make Believe thing, everyone hates that album and I’m not sure why), and this theory holds true with Of Montreal. Many moons ago, I asked Taylor for some new music to listen to and he told me to check out Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I immediately asked him what I did to wrong him in such a way that he would suggest that album to me. Apparently everyone loves that album, I dunno man. But anyways, I kinda developed this opinion that Of Montreal is weird, flamboyant, bright, vivid, and generally obnoxious. Generally, this holds true for False Priest. However, contrary to how negative my words may seem, I don’t find this album awful. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, so if you’re the kind of person who tends to side with me more than Taylor I doubt you will really enjoy this album. If you dig Of Montreal’s past stuff, who knows. I heard this album is less electronic than their past stuff (man, who knows what I’d have given this if it was super electronic) so y’know, keep that in mind. My favorite track was “Famine Affair”, probably the most “normal” of the bunch. Which says a lot about me more than anything. I also really loved “Our Riotous Defects”, particularly the speaking parts which is a bit strange of me. Anyways, feel free to give this a shot, but prepared for in-your-face pop with hyperactive vocals and bright music. If this music could be visually represented, it’d be represented by a rainbow in the background with fireworks in the foreground.
“X of the Year” post tomorrow!
Friend Rating:
6.8
Coming up next, Hurley by Weezer!
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3 comments:
Wow, you guys are really on top of your posts! Awesome!
Taylor, you really went to town on your review. While your commentary was borderline cold, you backed it up with some great points and your description of the sound was pretty clear-cut. Very nice work! Your reviews get better all the time!
Paul, I agree with your statement that the band is "weird, flamboyant, vivid..." They kind of remind me of a white Mars Volta, which is one of my favorite psychedelic rock bands. Their 2005 album takes me back to my senior year in high school...the good ol' days.
I was on youtube, and on the discussion board, someone said about Of Montreal, "bands write music about acid. These guys write music ON acid." I thought that was pretty funny.
And how is it that you guys have 8 followers, yet I'm the only one who ever reads/comments on this stuff?
I think it's opportune now for a Lianna Announcement directed to the "followers:"
COME ON, SO-CALLED FOLLOWERS! SAY SOMETHING! INTERACT! It's a great blog! It's entertaining... it's inviting....
Ok. I'm done.
Haha thanks Lianna. Paul's just now getting back into the swing of things, and hopefully we'll have our year-end lists up soon (better late than never).
This album has actually lost it's playability for me as I gave it more listens... I guess my commentary was cold for a reason? It kinda has the same effect on me that Interpol's new record had: initial excitement covering up my disappointments (though this album is still far better than Interpol's).
As always, thanks for being interested enough to comment! :p
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