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Of Montreal
“Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?”
I’m a big sucker for a good song title. I’ll give any well-penned song a chance, and find that usually songs with weirder titles tend to denote more adventurous and interesting music. Of Montreal has always taken the cake when it comes to great titles, something I’ve always admired about them. The songs on their new album, “Hissing Fauna, are you the Destroyer?” range from the absurd, such as “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger,” to the gutsy, “We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafing.”
Of Montreal have always been known for quirky indie-pop, but this album takes a more personal turn. Frontman Kevin Barnes generally stays true to his upbeat psychedelic tempos, but even the peppier songs contain sad or disturbing lyrical moments. “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethian Curse” keeps it pretty peppy, but lyrics like “and it’s just like you to hurt me when I’m feeling good” make it feel like Barnes is on a sugar high and about to crash. “Gronlandic Edit” and “Faberge Falls for Shuggie” are two other enjoyable songs along the same vein.
Sandwiched in the middle of the album is the churning twelve-minute “The Past is a Grotesque Animal,” in which Barnes desperately and heatedly recounts his fixations and frustrating relationship history. It’s a highlight of the album, but also sticks out like a sore thumb. The first time I listened to the album, this song made me stop what I was doing and focus all of my attention on it. Barnes deserves a lot of credit for his honesty and rawness, especially because the style of this particular track is a real departure from the band’s form and genre.
In the 10 years since their first release, “Cherry Peel,” Of Montreal have released a prolific amount of psychedelic indie-pop. Barnes has always produced quirky, catchy melodies, and proved himself to be an innovative contributor to the indie-pop scene. What I can’t get over is how “Hissing Fauna” takes many of the old ingredients and spins them into a new context. Earnest odes and, at times, emotional epics have replaced the band’s fanciful lyrics. The risk paid off, and this album will set 2007 off to a great start for indie music fans.
