Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping Penetrates All Fantasies

"...Planning midnight raids on the Swedish plum trees
That summer, It was too cold to swim so
we climbed up on the rocky shore and freaked out on
the mountain goats but they were not impressed or scared of us.
do you remember, our last summer as independents?"
Skeletal Lamping is the ninth studio album from Of Montreal and the follow-up to last year’s masterpiece, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?. It picks up right back in that splendid mess from before. If you've spent anytime with Hissing Fauna, you know that Kevin Barnes spent the better half of it battling his campy alter ego, Georgie Fruit. You also know this stuff is crazy. So now that Georgie has taken over; the grooves are funkier, the pace is faster, the layers are busier, and the lyrics are… sexier. Barnes further establishes himself as a premier poet here, wrapping words around soundscapes that seem to change color with every 30-second segment.

Georgie Fruit’s world is all rhymes and no reason. This Ziggy Stardust-like persona is a brilliant device, giving Barnes free reign in this lawless land.

“I want to paint your nails, I want to make you scream, I want to braid your hair, I want to kiss your friends.”
Barnes on Fruit in a recent Pitchfork interview: "The character's name is Georgie Fruit, and he's in his late forties, a black man who has been through multiple sex changes. He's been a man and a woman, and then back to a man. He's been to prison a couple of times. In the 70s he was in a band called Arousal, a funk rock band sort of like the Ohio Players. Then he went through a few different phases."

I spent most of yesterday skating around town, giving this thing a proper, repeated listen. At points I laughed out loud, dumbfounded that someone’s brain could construct this. Like Fauna, this will be the most fun I’ll have with music this year. Critically, I see this album splitting many depending on why they liked Hissing Fauna and how cool they are with lines like “We can do it softcore, if you want, but you should know I take it both ways.” It’s not likely to get the same universal praise; it’s far too extreme for that. But plenty will love it.

To quote my Internet friend Brett: “I admit it--shorts are comfortable, and Of Montreal is awesome.”

Standout tracks: "An Eluardian Instance", "Gallery Piece", and "Beware our Nubile Miscreants." The album leaked yesterday, but is scheduled for official release on October 7th with a bunch of nice giveaways. Contact me for a file transfer, or check my page in a few for some streaming action.