Life > October 9, 2008

By Nathan Bedsole | Contributing writer

I’m the wrong person to write about Of Montreal’s new album. I really am. I’m the wrong person to write about Of Montreal’s new album. I really am. I’m horrible about ignoring the two most recent releases of any band simply because “their older stuff was better,” and I’m just a poor writer. Sure, call me a snob, but most of the time I honestly just feel this way about bands.

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Do I fear change? Do I refuse to acknowledge that a band should change from album to album?

Am I really this pretentious?

Probably, but that’s a novel for another day. Skeletal Lamping, the newest studio release from Athens, Ga., based band Of Montreal comes out October 21st.

We’ve all been waiting for it and we’ll soon have it via lamp, shirt, or whatever other means of selling a record front man Kevin Barnes has come up with.

I mean, we all know this band is showy, but selling your record as a lamp? My personal qualms with Of Montreal’s (or just Barnes’) image as of late aside, Skeletal Lamping is pretty freaking sweet.

It’s just about as awesome as I could ever expect from the band as of presently. I mean, their older stuff was way better, but this is an amazing album.

What we saw develop in Of Montreal’s last album Hissing Fauna, are You the Destroyer?, continues here just as one would expect.

The flow of songs and melodies resembles the flow of consciousness in a Virginia Woolf novel, and there is just an incredible amount of sexy.

As a kid who is all but too attached to his earlier records, Hissing Fauna and Skeletal Lamping don’t quite represent the band I used to put on every dance mixtape I ever made.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are danceable tracks on here, like the gem “An Eluardian Instance.”

Unfortunately, though the moments that absolutely make your feet move are brilliant, they are just too sparse throughout the album.

This is something about Of Montreal’s newer releases that gets me down.

I miss their old irresistibly party-inducing records like The Sunlandic Twins and Satanic Panic in the Attic. But hey, people love this new stuff, and even I like it.

I guess I just don’t “get” it like I should.

There are certain things I just don’t get.

This list includes, but is not limited to, Natalie Portman, Ugg boots, children and why Good Burger didn’t win best picture.

I suppose “post-Kevin Barnes complete takeover of Of Montreal” records are among these, as well. For those interested, check out Rolling Stone’s latest issue featuring the article, “Of Montreal’s Surreal Life,” complete with an almost nude photo of Barnes.

I enjoy the records, but there seems to be unnecessary space between the really super fun moments Of Montreal is so capable of producing.

Kids I know go crazy over how good this stuff is, and I guess I see it, but I still cringe a little at how deliberately intellectual and elevated Barnes comes off during these breaks.

Again, I guess I’m just not cultured enough to understand.

Enough of my griping; this album is solid.

Parts of it are incredibly upbeat, and other parts are just achingly somber and beautiful.

The best part is, however, how Barnes combines these two elements into an unmistakably Of Montreal album.

It’s a treat to listen to even if every track doesn’t turn your basement into a discotheque.

If you are hung up on this fact check out Diplo’s remix of the last track on the album, “Id Engager.” It’ll take some digging to find, but it is definitely worth the search.

Anyhow, definitely order Skeletal Lamping if you haven’t already; I’m sure you’ll dig it.

As for me, I’m just looking forward to their next three albums so after those get out of the way I can go from liking to loving Skeletal Lamping.