Of Montreal have always had a refreshing take on indie rock, eschewing the naval-gazing obscurantism and compositional minimalism of the "lo-fi" movement in favour of a more euphoric and shiny baroque-pop amalgam of flower-power sentiment and lyrical ambition. Of Montreal's early formula was to superimpose a lyrical and compositional complexity onto a pop accessibility and childlike wonder for the world that, in some respects at least, emulated the successes and failings of their forebears. Namely, at their best, the substance of their albums far surpass the bloated conceptual themes used to frame them. Sure, albums such as The Gay Parade and Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies reference the high concept madness of Sgt. Peppers and Tommy. But, like them, they manage in the most part to displace these bloated and overambitious ideas with a songwriting craft that prevented them from seeming like absurd documents from an ego gone mad. Luckily, in the most part, the stylistic idiosyncrasies of the band masked a genuine appreciation and skill for writing a good song. The new album, Skeletal Lamping, unabashedly proves that Of Montreal do far more than recycle the concepts and lyrics of their forebears.
The blatant manner in which Of Montreal reference their influences guarantee them a mixed response. Indeed, at their worst, those big wooly concepts and twee lyrical themes come dangerously close to emulating that which was most odious and bloated of the happy-clappy sixties; an excessive preoccupation with stylistic novelty over substance, songs that mask their lack of inspiration with pretentious gloss and pseudo-artiness and an unrealistically optimistic opinion of sex and love that conveniently forgot about the seedy and unavoidable realities of lust. Skeletal Lamping rejects the escapist trappings of the sixties paradigm in favour of a grittier and less altogether summery outlook: as their opening statement on And I've Seen A Bloody Shadow says, "that whole summer really was too peculiar" and, in An Eluardian Instance: "That summer it was too cold to swim".
Lyrically, Of Montreal seem to have grown up. While retaining an equal amount of cheer and mirth in its execution, the innocent side of all that free love business is also countered by more violent expressions of the carnivorous delectabilities of lust and desire. The album is generously peppered with delightfully articulate lines that seem less nostalgically attached to the sentiments of the sixties and more inclined to approach the ambiguities of sex and love. The verse of Gallery Piece goes "I want to be your love / I want to make you cry / and sweep you off your feet". The juxtaposition between sex and violence in love is embellished further as the song continues: "I want to hurt your pride / I want to slap your face / I want to paint your nails / I want to make you scream / I want to break your head / I want to kiss your friends / I want to make you laugh / I want to dress the same / I want to defend you / I want to squeeze your thighs / I want to kiss your eyelids / then corrupt your dreams" etc., which ends in the subtlely creepy and ambiguous line "I wanna be your only friend".
As well as approaching subject matter probably too taboo to compliment their earlier material, Skeletal Lamping is also full of lyrical flourishes and witticisms that highlight Of Montreal's ability to construct a good, unpretentious couplet. The chorus of Beware Our Nubile Miscreants goes "You only like him cos he's sexually appealing / but his psychic's prediction leaves him hanging from the ceiling". The opening verse of the album is a particularly rich example and opening manifesto of the album's intentions: "my lover, I've been donating time to review / all the misinterpretations that define me and you."
Skeletal Lamping is also a musical departure for Of Montreal, with more electronic and funk-pop flourishes that sounds more like Madonna than The Monkees, more Scary Monsters era Bowie than Sgt. Peppers era Beatles. This genre hop is particularly refreshing as it highlights what Of Montreal have always been good at doing: not recreating a pastiche of flower power to be wheeled out at festivals, but constructing intelligent, thought-provoking and witty songs that demonstrate a fluency, passion and creativity for songwriting that has managed to remain fresh and exciting for nearly a decade. For this reason, and for the flourishing of lyrical and creative ideas that generously embellish this album, Skeletal Lamping is probably the best album Of Montreal have done.
8 bananas out of 10.
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