of Montreal Album: “Satanic Panic in the Attic”

Wow! If you listen to Of Montreal's acclaimed album "The Gay Parade" and then follow it up with a listen to "Satanic Panic In the Attic" you will be surprised that you are listening to the same band. The once whimsical circus music that enveloped their two concept albums "The Gay Parade" and "Coquelicot Asleep In the Poppies" is not entirely gone, but it has evolved into something much better, and much more accessible to the casual listener.

Begining with the Kinks/Monkees reminiscent track "Disconnect the Dots," it becomes very obvious that you are listening to a different Of Montreal. One could attribute this change to the record label switch to Polyvinyl, but we can't be entirely sure. What is sure is that for the next 13 tracks you are taken on a pop rollercoaster, and it's one of the greatest rides of 2004. Not only that, but the song "Rapture Rapes the Muses" is quite possibly the best indie pop song of all time, at least in the last few years. There's pretty much nothing to hate about this album, and with a group as fun-loving and easy-going as Of Montreal, that's not too hard to accomplish.

While it seems that many listeners enjoyed the simpler pop sounds of their last album and the somewhat disappointing (IMHO) epic Colequet Asleep in the Poppies, I tended to find them much weaker in comparison with the Gay Parade. On the new album, Barnes experiments with a more electronic mix and a drastically more energetic sound than what he's attempted in the past, and he succeeds with his most creative album in years, and the lyrics aren't so cute as to make me queasy. In fact, fans of their Elephant Six brethren Beulah might find a little in common with the new Of Montreal; they've inherited a little of Beulah's 'cool' sound, but overall, as the album's title suggests, the energy level is a lot higher. Understandably, some Of Montreal fans may be a little taken aback (I was), but I think after a few listens, most fans would agree that the album is a second coming for the band.

Of Montreal's "Satanic Panic In The Attic" is barely a classic, but that's certainly not a bad thing. Kevin Barnes is perfect as an indie pop singer, and the lyrics are always cheerful and usually interesting (and funny!). Sometimes the lyrics discuss pretty odd and disgusting topics (the worst offender is "Chrissie Kiss The Corpse" which is about, you-guessed-it, kissing a corpse). The production and musicianship is near-perfect - the songs sound really great. The songs have a slight psychedelic pop sound to them. Every track here is good-if-not-excellent, and stand-out tracks like "Disconnect The Dots" and (to an extent) "Chrissie Kiss The Corpse" certainly help things a lot. I'm not sure if non-indie pop fans will like this album, but genre fans will most likely LOVE it. If you like Belle & Sebastian or Beulah, for example, you should be right at home with "Satanic Panic In The Attic". If you liked this album then I definitely recommend Belle & Sebastian's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" along with Beulah's "The Coast Is Never Clear". Highly recommended!

Highlights include:

the entire album!

Of Montreal is very original. Satanic Panic is there best album perhaps, because every song is enjoyable. The best songs are: Disconect the Dots, Lysric Bliss, My British tour diary, and rapture rapes the muses, and city bird, and sad love. Highly recomended if you are just starting with this band.

Compared to Of Montreal's prior albums, this one seems to be a leap forward. While being much more electronic than "The Gay Parade" and "Cherry Peel" for example, it still retains the psych-pop lo-fi structure that's defined the band for years. One may say that this is OM's possible attempt at reaching the mainstream, which may be true given the release of "Disconnect the Dots" on MTV(!).

Each track on the album is hook-ridden, but not cheesy in the least bit. The only hiccup is "City Bird." While this track may have found a better home on "Cherry Peel" or even "Cocquelicot...," it is stuck in the middle of "..Attic" possibly to keep older fans happy. It's very slow and tedious, unlike the rest of the album.

This is an album I will never grow old of. It sounds fresh every time I pop it in the stereo and it's amongst my favorite albums of all-time.

This should be the first stop for those interested in hearing what Of Montreal can offer. Try "Cocquelicot..." afterwards. Everything else is pretty much in the grouping of psychedelic revival-esque 60's-type indie music. Not nearly as catchy as "Satanic Panic in the Attic."