of Montreal – Innocence Reaches

Kevin Barnes’ verbose lyricism clashes head on with flashes of EDM...

Hardly your prototypical rock band, of Montreal’s habitual leanings towards jittery, stunted pop songs have seen the band cutting and pasting from various influences over the course of their two decade existence; on ‘Innocence Reaches’, this diversity is blatant, with Kevin Barnes’ affinity for funked-up psychedelia, Beach Boys-style backing vocals, crunchy garage rock guitars, and stadium-sized dance numbers all featuring prominently.

Second single ‘My Fair Lady’ is immediately gripping in classic Barnes fashion with the dead-panned opening lines “my lady’s back at home/cutting herself and sending me photographs.” Dropping instantly into a bass-driven disco groove, dazzling flute flourishes, blippy electronics, and shuffle drumming are methodically layered in, providing the album with a pleasant reprise from its two opening tracks – the grandiose dance tunes, ‘Let’s Relate’ and ‘It’s Different For Girls’.

The former brings together Crystal Castles-esque vocal manipulations with larger-than-life dance club synth bursts. “How do you identify/ How do you ID?” Barnes asks, introducing what quickly emerges as one of the record’s thematic nuclei: navigating the tricky channels of identity through the lens of gender. Known for his unapologetic flamboyance and frequent crossdressing, Barnes comes closest to providing listeners with a gender-conscious electro-anthem on the fabulous ‘It’s Different For Girls’.

A driving guitar riff is tucked beneath loopy synths and foot-to-the-floor drumming to great effect—“it's different for girls/from when they are children/they're depersonalized/aggressively objectified” sings Barnes amidst a series of other assertions about females; such as how they are “mercurial creatures/not a masculine dissonance/or sexual currency.” These aren’t uncharted waters for the band – glitter-soaked celebrations of gender fluidity on stage have certainly become something of a trademark. As such, while many attempts at dispensing sexual politics in song-form might risk coming off heavy-handed or preachy, of Montreal’s take feels genuine, even celebratory, and certainly better resembling a positive proclamation than any kind of denunciation of masculinity.

The other two tracks which compose the opening five songs on ‘Innocence Reaches’ couldn’t be more starkly opposed to their electronic, dancier counterparts. ‘Gratuitous Abysses’ and ‘Les Chants Of Maldoror’ both feature catchy garage rock guitar choruses, with the latter punctuated by irresistibly-surfy backing harmonies. Both tracks bring to the table enough grit to transform dance-club into mosh pit, and serve as a testament to the band’s versatility. Bringing his characteristic lyrical density to both tracks, Barnes manages to deliver some noteworthy moments without overly cluttering either song. “Our love was a purity until mundanity struck/I guess that last time in Capitol Hill will be our farewell fuck.” As always, his lyrical contributions remain liable to range anywhere from deeply personal to satirical to downright outrageous and nonsensical. Here, the of Montreal front-man is in top form.

On the other hand, ‘Sport and a Pastime’ is highly-produced and lyrically-bare by of Montreal standards, bringing to mind some of the vocal progressions and minimalistic synth pop featured on indie rock contemporaries Porches most recent release, ‘Pool’. Though a decent attempt, the clean-cut approach feels like a bad fit for Barnes, who has always thrived on fantastically cluttered and busy compositions with extensive amounts of sonic layering. The same can be said for tracks like ‘Ambassador Bridge’, where catchy hooks aren’t enough to sideline the drabness of its relatively direct, unimaginative approach.

Without expecting the dynamism of 2007’s ‘Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?’ or the melancholic, post-relationship weight of last year’s ‘Aureate Gloom’, of Montreal’s most recent effort does well to offer listeners a varied and well-balanced sampling of the band’s myriad of amassed musical flavours, with contemporary EDM coming as the latest addition. While ‘Innocence Reaches’ won’t go down as their best, it’s refreshing to see that Kevin Barnes and Co. are continuing to reinvent themselves with some of their most anthemic, accessible, and socially pertinent singles to date.

7/10

Words: Noveen Bajpai

– – –

– – –

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.