of Montreal - 'Paralytic Stalks' Details

I was disappointed by recent oM releases False Priest and thecontrollersphere. However, this new record is being hyped as a 'back to basics' release, and preview cut "Wintered Debts" suggests that might not be bullshit - it's quite good.

The new LP is called Paralytic Stalks, and it drops February 7.

Tracklisting:

01) Gelid Ascent
02) Spiteful Intervention
03) Dour Percentage
04) We Will Commit Wolf Murder
05) Malefic Dowery
06) Ye, Renew the Plaintiff
07) Wintered Debts
08) Exorcismic Breeding Knife
09) Authentic Pyrrhic Remission

Typical weirdo song titles. I especially like "We Will Commit Wolf Murder".

The relatively short tracklisting is also encouraging - hopefully suggesting this record is tighter and more focused.

of Montreal - thecontrollersphere

of Montreal have sneak attack released their latest work, an EP called thecontrollersphere.

Here's the official word on the EP:

"A mini-album of sorts, thecontrollersphere is a folk album only in the way of Montreal could envision a folk album.

Clocking in at 23 minutes, thecontrollersphere includes the long-awaited studio version of live favorite "Black Lion Massacre" -- a pulsing sonic freakout that is the darkest and noisiest song Barnes has ever written and serves as thecontrollersphere's mission statement."

A mini-album of sorts, eh? Well I actually love the EP as a format of music, so I'm not complaining. Sometimes you don't have a full 40 minutes to an hour to listen to a full album, and then an EP can be perfect.

You can purchase thecontrollersphere from Polyvinyl Records here.

Physical release date is April 26, but you can download the 320kbps MP3s right now. Available in black or limited edition blue vinyl.

Finally, here's the tracklisting:

1) Black Lion Massacre
2) Flunkt Sass vs the Root Plume
3) Holiday Call
4) L'age D'or
5) Slave Translator

of Montreal - The Controller Sphere EP

of Montreal have announced they will be releasing an EP called The Controller Sphere this spring. This means that the 3 most recent releases from the group will all be phrases uttered by frontman Kevin Barnes in the song "Farberge Falls for Shuggie", from their greatest album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?.

"Skeletal lamping, the controller sphere, false priest"

The songs to be included on The Controller Sphere all originate from the sessions for last year's False Priest, but according to Kevin, they will be "a bit noisier and a little less groove-based", and some are "just a bit artier".

Sounds cool, Kevin. I didn't get into False Priest as much as expected. Perhaps this release will grab me more. Definitely looking forward to it.

More Daytrotter Sessions

Some other notable Daytrotter sessions y'all should check out:

Wavves

of Montreal

Deerhunter

Grizzly Bear

Dirty Projectors

Surfer Blood

Sunset Rubdown

This list is by no means comprehensive!  Check out everything the site has to offer.

of Montreal's 'False Priest' Out Now

of Montreal's new record 'False Priest' officially drops today.

of Montreal - Coquet Coquette (Video)

of Montreal feat. Solange Knowles - "Sex Karma" on Jimmy Fallon

of Montreal - False Priest Trailer

of Montreal - Coquet Coquette EP

of Montreal have released an EP for "Coquet Coquette", the first single from new record False Priest.  The EP includes remixes via Starfucker and Yip Deceiver). 

Honestly, I don't know who either of those people are, nor have I listened to the remixes yet.  But the original is fantastic.  The cover art seems to confirm my assessment of the False Priest art (a war is happening in Heaven?)

You can download "Coquet Coquette" for free on their website.  Definitely do that at least.

Coquet Coquette EP on iTunes

of Montreal - Hydra Fancies

A second cut from of Montreal's new record False Priest has emerged.  It's called "Hydra Fancies".

Now I'm a diehard of Montreal fan, so my endorsement should surprise no one, but Jesus, this song is sublime.  Make your day and listen to it.

of Montreal - Hydra Fancies

of Montreal - Tour Dates w/ Janelle Monae

Hitting one of the two Terminal 5 dates is an absolute must.

09-13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-14 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-15 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
09-16 Boston, MA - House of Blues
09-17 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-18 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-19 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
09-21 Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
09-22 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club (Pygmalion Music Festival)
09-23 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-24 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
09-26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
10-21 St. Louis, MO - Pageant
10-22 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
10-23 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
10-24 Denver, CO - The Ogden Theater
10-25 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10-27 Seattle, WA - The Paramount
10-28 Portland, OR - Roseland
10-30 Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
11-01 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
11-02 Dallas, TX - The Granada Theatre
11-03 Austin, TX - East Side Drive In
11-04 Houston, TX - Numbers
11-05 Oxford, MS - The Lyric

of Montreal - False Priest Details + Coquet Coquette MP3

I step out for an hour for lunch and come back to the most exciting news possible - a new song and full album details from of Montreal.  Their new record False Priest drops September 14.  That artwork above (a mutant warship invading heaven?) is the cover art.

And here's the tracklisting:

01) I Feel Ya' Strutter
02) Our Riotous Defects [ft. Janelle Monáe]
03) Coquet Coquette
04) Godly Intersex
05) Enemy Gene [ft. Janelle Monáe]
06) Hydra Fancies
07) Like a Tourist
08) Sex Karma [ft. Solange Knowles]
09) Girl Named Hello
10) Famine Affair
11) Casualty of You
12) Around the Way
13) You Do Mutilate?

You can download lead single "Coquet Coquette" straight from the band at their website.

Kevin Barnes talks new oM Album/Tour with P4K

Kevin Barnes talked with Pitchfork about the new of Montreal record False Priest and its accompanying tour.  Check it out here.

What do we learn from the interview?

• Kevin had a complete record put together (he always works solo in the studio) when he started working with Jon Brion.  So Brion couldn't technically be called the producer for False Priest, but he's helping to give it the best sound possible, improve the fidelity.  Programmed drums being replaced by real drums, hooray!
• False Priest will have a heavy low end not typically found in indie rock albums.  It will rattle your car trunk.
• Janelle Monae and Solange Knowles guest on the album.
• of Montreal will tour with Janelle Monae once more and they're gonna put on a crazy fucking show the likes of which you have neither seen nor imagined.

last.fm - Top 5 Artists

L

Last.fm is an awesome service that keeps track of the music you play.  It does other stuff too I guess...like you can listen to radio stations based on the music you like to listen to.  But outside of Pandora, I have no interest in investing in other radio stations, really.

But it keeps track of what you play!  And gives you all your music stats, makes recommendations on what you might like.
 
My top 30 artists on last.fm as of 4/21/2010...

01. of Montreal - 3,846 plays
What can I say?  I love me some of Montreal.  It's not even close.  They were my definitive favorite band for several years.  I listen to a lot of other artists now, but they're still one of my faves.

Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? and Satanic Panic in the Attic are amazing albums, some of the best to come out in the past decade.  Skeletal Lamping and The Sunlandic Twins are fantastic as well.  They have multiple albums pre-Satanic that are of a different style...I've heard it described as twee.  It's interesting stuff, but for the most part, I dig Satanic and beyond.

New album later this year!  Dying with anticipation.

02. Deerhunter - 1,899 plays
Deerhunter have risen in the ranks!  Microcastle reeled me in, and I am totally hooked.  I think Bradford Cox is one of the most compelling songwriters we have out there, and dude's got a beautiful voice.  I've heard their music described as "ambient punk", and that's a pretty good descriptor.  Their music creates an atmosphere - certain tracks on Cryptograms, Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. are purely noise - but noise that comes together and sets the scene.  Then in the midst of the scene are rockin' tunes like "Cryptograms", "Nothing Ever Happened" and "Operation".

03. The New Pornographers - 1,678 plays
The new New Pornographers record Together has just leaked.  Go find it.  Only listened to it once so far, but it sounded pretty rad.  I love certain parts of Challengers ("All the Old Showstoppers", "Myriad Harbour"), but I'll concede it's their weakest album.  This is better.

The New Pornos are power pop personified.

04. Arcade Fire - 1,672 plays
I got totally obsessed with this band when Neon Bible came out.  Then I got a little burned out and put 'em down for a while.  Really excited for their third album though.  And Funeral really is incredible, holy shit.

05. Spoon - 1,215 plays
Spoon are motherfucking dependable.  Some people have twisted this quality and suggested that Spoon are boring.  In a way, I get it.  But in a lot of other ways, I totally don't get it, because Spoon are awesome.

I didn't love Transference as immediately as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga or Gimme Fiction, but it's growing on me.  When you cover all their albums, they've built up a rock solid body of tunes.  Can't wait to catch them live again.

of Montreal - Enemy Gene

Kevin Barnes previews a new of Montreal track "Enemy Gene" in this YouTube clip.  Nice beard, Kevin.

of Montreal feat. Solange Knowles - I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)

God I need to see of Montreal live again.

New of Montreal Album

Stereogum have issued a progress report on the status of the new of Montreal album.  As I start to read it, I realize just how excited I am to hear new material from this band.  I'm sure the new Panda Bear record will be awesome, but...after the recent EP Fall Be Kind, I'm still gorging on Animal Collective.  But it feels like I've lived an entire lifetime since of Montreal's last album.  This is my most anticipated album of 2010, easily.  (Yeasayer's fantastic second album Odd Blood, which I've now listened to over a dozen times, doesn't count, even if it doesn't officially come out 'til February)

Frontman Kevin Barnes says he's wavering between calling the new record False Priest or The Controller Sphere.  They're both good choices, I'm not sure which I like better.  Apparently Kevin is determined to title all of his records with lyrics from the song "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" from now on.  The title for 2008's Skeletal Lamping was also a phrase pulled from there.

Anyway, the album is going to be produced by Jon Brion.  Kevin is planning to have a bigger band for future live shows (10 or so musicians) and is guiding the sound of the record accordingly.  70's funk and R&B serve as inspiration.  Cameos from Solange Knowles, Janelle Monae, and "one or two other people" will be included.

The record is due in August or September...shit that's a long wait.  I need something to make me happy now, dammit.

2010 Anticipated Albums

2009 has been a great year for music. It looks like 2010 is gonna pretty sweet too. There are a bunch of albums I'm looking forward to in the new year...

Spoon - Transference
The last LP we got from Spoon is 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, with fantastic songs like "Don't You Evah", "The Underdog", and "Don't Make Me a Target". This year we got an EP from Spoon called Got Nuffin. It turns out that EP was an appetizer for the new album, with the title track "Got Nuffin" showing up on Transference as well. I didn't think too much of that track at first, but it's definitely grown on me. And now we have the piano-based single "Written in Reverse", which I'm loving. It sounds vaguely menacing and has a cool groove to it. Spoon have been producing solid albums time-after-time for many years now. I don't expect this effort to be any different. One interesting tidbit that I heard is that the band produced this album themselves for the first time.

Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Yeasayer's Odd Blood is the album to beat for 2010, so far. How can I say that? Um, because I've listened to it 7 times already. It's a funny world we live in now where albums are leaked out onto the internet months before their official release. But you've gotta draw the line somewhere, and my Best of 2009 list is already written. This album has a little less folk and world music influence than Yeasayer's All Hour Cymbals, and a little more electro pop and funk. I love All Hour Cymbals, but I don't need another one. I'm happy with the direction Yeasayer have moved in. These are catchy, incredibly listenable tunes. "Ambling Alp", "Madder Red", and "ONE" are early standouts.

Kevin Barnes' Favorite Albums of 2009

The British music site Drowned In Sound has a feature with various artists listing their favorite albums of the year, including Kevin Barnes, frontman for the band of Montreal.

of Montreal are one of my favorite bands, so it's not surprising that Kevin and I have similar musical tastes.  Kevin lists two of the albums that made my Top 10 (Animal Collective and Passion Pit), as well as one album I've only started to get into but could definitely be a contender (Dan Deacon).  That leaves Fever Ray and Micachu and the Shapes.  I haven't heard either of these albums.  I need to check 'em out ASAP.

Kevin's comments:

Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
Like everyone else in the world, I love this album, perfect soundtrack for knife fishing, as well as symbolic theft, not that i do either of those things, just seems like it would work for both.

Dan Deacon Bromst
This is the sound you'd hear if you died of playstation, that is a cause of death, right?

Fever Ray Fever Ray
Vampires who like rainbows like this album and so do i

Passion Pit Manners
Barely asian semi-quad tone electronica, with a touch of old world harmonic maleficence, quite reminiscent of early Robert Horry, but with slightly less emphasis on the perimeter play. The three point shooting is almost identical however.

Micachu and the Shapes Jewellery
She/they top the list of artists i'd love to see live, seems like it would be a thunderdome

I eagerly await the next of Montreal album, which I fully expect to be on my Best of 2010 list this time next year.

Kevin Barnes Collaborations

I already knew that Beyonce had mentioned she'd like to work with Kevin Barnes (from the indie pop band Of Montreal), and that Kevin replied saying he'd be "fully psyched" to work with her.

Now You Ain't No Picasso is reporting that Kevin has started writing a song for Beyonce called "Here's My Party Drug".  

If that wasn't enough, Kevin is going to be contributing to the new GZA album!  Fucking great.