Press your space face close to mine, love

October 22nd 2008 by E..

of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl)

of Montreal’s main man Kevin Barnes is a good man, and thorough. If there is room in one of his songs for a reference to fornication, he won’t let that void go unfilled. In fact, his new album Skeletal Lamping is so heavy with sexual imagery that I’m pretty sure the physical disc will only appear under ultraviolet light. The 15 track song cycle revolves around Barnes’ trans-transgender alter-ego, “Georgie Fruit,” who first appeared in a few of the songs on last year’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. While the whole multiple personalities thing is intriguing enough, try making heads or tails of the titles of the songs. As usual, none of them are overtly related to the tunes they represent. Names aside, the songs alternate between funky disco (”Gallery Piece” and “Beware Our Nubile Miscreants”), smooth R & B (”St. Exquisite’s Confessions”), and classic of Montreal electropop. Originally, Barnes intended to release the album as a hundred or so minute-long tracks, and though that may have been abandoned, there are a few multi-part suites made up of fragments of songs (opener “Nonpareil Of Favor” and the epic “Plastis Wafer”). Like most every other Skeletal Lamping reviewer, I’ll point out how Barnes’ evolving music and image are very similar to another musical chameleon. He might not be purposefully trying to emulate David Bowie, but Barnes brings wonderful theatricality to indie rock, as seen in of Montreal’s videos and outlandish stage shows. Skeletal Lamping, with its relentless pop hooks and dancefloor-ready beats, is sure to get you to boogie (and might just land you a new relationship). Try your luck at both of those when of Montreal come to the Electric Factory on Halloween.

Review by Eric Schuman

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