By Grant Schrantz, Staff Writer
Georgia-based indie band, Of Montreal, has just recently released their newest album, Paralytic Stalks; a very modern, poetic, and original work of art. According to several magazines and websites, it has been given quite a bit of critical acclaim, so now, after listening to it, I’m here to give it a little more.
Of Montreal had its start in the mid to late nineties as a one-man act by singer/ songwriter, Kevin Barnes, a master of many instruments, and after relocating to Athens, Georgia, it picked up two new members: Derek Almstead and Bryan Poole. The three musicians went on to release Cherry Peel in 1997, followed by The Bird Who Ate the Rabbit’s Flower (1998) and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy(1998). The subsequent years have been filled with lineup changes and many more albums, such as The Gay Parade(1999), Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse(2001), Aldhils Arboretum(2002, Satanic Panic in the Attic(2004), The Sunlandic Twins(2005), Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Skeletal Lamping(2008), and False Priest(2010). The present members of the band are Kevin Barnes(Vocals/multiple instruments), Bryan Poole(Guitar), Dottie Alexander(Keys), Davey Pierce, Zac Colwell, Clayton Rychlik, K Ishibashi(Violin), and Nicholas Dobbratz.
Paralytic Stalks has put me into a euphoric state of awe since I first put it on. The electronic, psychedelic, indie album goes all over the place, with hardly any songs even sounding similar to each other. One of my favorite things about this group, in general, is the mix of a sixties kind of style, similar to the Beatles, with avant-garde electronic equipment and a plethora of exotic instruments and sounds. A prime example of what I’m talking about is my own personal favorite track from the album “Wintered Debts”. In this song, the group manages to switch between soft acoustic strings, energy-filled verses, ambient instrumentals, and classic piano all within the same seven minutes and forty seconds of its duration.
It is definitely worth listening to at least once, and honestly, I can’t wait to hear more from this cutting-edge group. In total, I’d give this album a much deserved 4.5 stars out of 5.
