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Average: 4.5 (144 ratings)
- Date Released: April 6, 2004
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Polyvinyl Record Co
A Lemony Snicket story for savvy indie-pop fans tired of their same old '60s records.
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We Say...
An imaginative album by a band that makes a practice of tearing through ideas like wrapping paper at a birthday party, Satanic Panic in the Attic shows Of Montreal squirming out of their twee-pop pact while keeping their quirks in check. "Disconnect the Dots" opens out of sorts, with an unusual burst of synthesizer and drum machine morphing into a more typical swirl of sweet psychedelic rock. Jangly guitars and la-la harmonies signal the sound that first linked Of Montreal to the Elephant 6 recording collective but songs like "My British Tour Diary" and "Rapture Rapes the Muses" patch in electronics and shifty rhythms, sounding both anxiously restless and increasingly at home in the recording studio. "Eros' Entropic Tundra" boasts a solo for what sounds like a swarm of bees, while "Chrissie Kiss the Corpse" bops through lyrical couplets colored by playful darkness. Think of Satanic Panic. . . as a Lemony Snicket story for savvy indie-pop fans tired of their same old '60s records.
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They Say...
From the opening synth handclaps and dual lead guitar harmonies of "Disconnect the Dots," the first song on Satanic Panic in the Attic, you know you are in for a different Of Montreal. Working on his own, save for a few helping hands on occasional strings and vocals, Kevin Barnes has crafted Of Montreal's most focused and powerful sounding record yet. Fans of the bursting-to-the-seams arrangements of the past may feel a bit let down by the stripped-down sound at first, but once you get past that feeling, the beautiful melodies and thrilling, immediate sound of the record are sure to reel you in. Besides, it isn't like this is a Matchbox Twenty record. Barnes is still as surreal lyrically and musically inventive as ever. Instead of treading closely to the conventions of the Elephant 6 chamber psych sound, Barnes expands his musical reach quite impressively to encompass disco-funk ("My British Tour Diary," which comes replete with drum breaks and cowbell; the lovely "Spike the Senses"), hard rock (the driving "How Lester Lost His Wife"), Beachwood Sparks-style cosmic country ("Erroneous Escape Into Erik Eckles"), power pop of the East Coast dB's variety (the gushing and surprisingly personal love song "Your Magic Is Working"), well-done Beach Boys homage ("Climb the Ladder"), and acoustic balladry (the wonderful "City Bird," which has one of the band's sweetest melodies and strips the sound all the way down to acoustic guitar and multitracked vocal harmonies). The last song on the record ("Vegan in Furs") even manages a breathtaking fusion of Afro-pop, disco, and freakbeat. The tougher sound and punchier arrangements also help keep the more whimsical lyrical flights from crashing (see the necrophiliac anthem "Chrissy Kiss the Corpse" or the goofy "My British Tour Diary"). Where the sticky sweetness of the band may have been a touch cloying once, now the sugar smacks you right in the head like pop music at its best does. Satanic Panic in the Attic is probably the first Of Montreal record that doesn't sound like you need a special decoder ring to figure out what is going on, the first record that you can imagine people outside of the Elephant 6 web ring buying and actually listening to with pleasure. To be able to create a record as open-hearted and musically direct and great as this without sacrificing much of the inspiration and sound that first made the band worth hearing is quite a feat.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Disconnect the Dots |
4:25 |  |
| 02. | |
Lysergic Bliss |
4:04 | |
| 03. | |
Will You Come and Fetch Me |
1:59 | |
| 04. | |
My British Tour Diary |
2:19 | |
| 05. | |
Rapture Rapes the Muses |
3:03 | |
| 06. | |
Eros' Entropic Tundra |
3:12 | |
| 07. | |
City Bird |
2:20 | |
| 08. | |
Erroneous Escape Into Eric Eckles |
2:48 | |
| 09. | |
Chrissie Kiss the Corpse |
2:40 | |
| 10. | |
Your Magic Is Working |
3:43 | |
| 11. | |
Climb the Ladder |
3:26 | |
| 12. | |
How Lester Lost His Wife |
2:31 | |
| 13. | |
Spike The Senses |
3:11 | |
| 14. | |
Vegan In Furs |
3:53 | |
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Credits
- David Barnes - Artwork // Of Montreal - Main Performer // Andy Gonzales - Guitar // Glenn Schick - Mastering // Heather McIntosh - Cello // Robbie Lowie - Layout Design
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