(certainly the gayest thing you will see on this blog.)
Oh, Of Montreal. How the mighty have fallen. And by fallen, I mean fallen upward. And by falling upward, I mean released a new album that's insanely listenable yet alienating, sexy, determinedly unique and a fucking lot of fun.
For those of you who didn't know, Kevin Barnes wanted to use this record to expand upon musical and lyrical conventions - to take music, and specifically, Of Montreal, to uncharted territory. As a result, the transitions on this album are as copious as they are drastic; there are, for example, six to eight transitions within the first track. This may sound like the makings of an album that overreaches itself, or tries to hard to obtain a gimmick while forgetting about sounding like worthwhile music. Somehow, you are wrong.
Although the motif of schizophrenia remains a constant throughout the work, Of Montreal keep it all together. Their near-autistic bouncing from one musical idea to the next kind of works, when its coupled with the lyrical subject matter of a black shemale soul/funk singer named Georgie Fruit.
Which brings me to the most appealing aspect of Skeltal Lamping; its unbelievably funky sensibilities. Kevin Barnes sounds like Sly Stone, George Clinton, and David Bowie crammed in a blender and pasteurized with scraps of older Of Montreal. It's funky, it's fresh, and its wholly unlike anything around (outside of the aforementioned older Of Montreal, that is).
Lyrically, this is the most overtly sexual Of Montreal has ever been. Barnes' writing style has shifted away from personal and towards kitschy, tongue in cheek dirty talk. It's all in the name of fun and good humor, and done so in a catch-phrase-y kind of way (I'm not sure what a 'Big Cock Creator' is, but it may have something to do with this (NSFW)).
Yet there are times when Barnes' meandering wanders outside of coherency. Every now and then, the ever shifting musical terrain proves to be disorientating. This album has an intense case of ADD, which works to both harm and help the work as a whole. As I've already said, the constant shifting makes for intriguing pop art - but there are times that it jerks out of sync right when the band has locked into a groove, and it leaves you wondering why they didn't just stick with the last three well written melodies and time signatures.
But a surplus of catchy, funky musical ideas could never be a total deal breaker, especially for me. And again, when it works, it's positively brilliant. And more to the point, Of Montreal have been doing this short-attention-span thing since their last record, so you sort of sign up for that with the price of admission. All in all, I'd say Skeletal Lamping has a few sparse flaws, but overall stands out as one of the best records of the year.
PROS:It's funky, It's crammed full of great songs with countless great segments.
CONS: It can become disorientating, and it may scare away homophobes.
ARTISTRY/PRETENSION: 7/10
LIKABILITY/DIRECT APPEAL: 6/10
OVERALL RATING: 9/10
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