In House #1793: New Release From Of Montreal, Playing Park City Tonight

A few years back, somewhere about the time of 2004's Satanic Panic In the Attic, Of Montreal mastermind Kevin Barnes aborted planet Earth for unknown celestial regions, and his creative vision went with him, producing lush, swirling, frenetic numbers that were nevertheless cohesive and accessible. Three years and two releases later and Barnes still hasn't come down-- in fact he may be less grounded than ever on his band's latest, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, out this week on Polyvinyl. Whereas in the past Barnes has more or less projected his songwriting outward, all wry observations and imagination excursions, the new material is uncharacteristically personal, inspired by a Norway-induced bout of depression and subsequent separation from his wife and newborn child (they've since reconciled, which makes for no awkwardness at all when it comes to public delcarations found on the album like "She's a Rejector," to be sure). In any case, despite the dark matter the album is anything but a moper, and Barnes at times seems too desperately manic to do anything but explode with it, which he does again and again. Songs like "Gronlandic Edit," and "Faberge Falls for Shuggie," move along to a surprising disco-funk beat, revealing shades of vintage Prince added to their established British Invasion meets psychedelia meets synth-pop pastiche. Not that Hissing Fauna is a breeze of a listen-- its twelve minute midpoint, "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal," would certainly suggest otherwise, and some may find the mere sonic bombardment, the bombast of it all, intimidating or worse upon initial listens. Ultimately though, the pop bliss (or, more accurately, pop bliss through non-bliss) shines through, and one will undoubtedly find themselves humming "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse," or "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger," like they never thought they could have. Really. Of Montreal plays Music On Main at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT tonight before jetting out to L.A. like the rock stars do for the beginning of a massive national tour tomorrow night.

Of Montreal

In House #1793.
Airdate: 1/25/07
Focus: New release from Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, also playing Park City tonight. Plus, Menomena's Friend & Foe, and new music from David Vandervelde, Yoko Ono, Young Galaxy, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Of Montreal, from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?:

"Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" (MP3)

"Faberge Falls for Shuggie" (MP3)

David Vandervelde, from The Moonstation House Band:

"Jacket" (MP3)

PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #245

Get Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? at Insound.