Despite Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? being Of Montreal’s eighth release, a history lesson is in order for added clarity. The Denver-based Elephant 6 collective cradled and spawned such brilliant illustrations of indie rock in the 90s as Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, and Of Montreal. The leading characteristic of Elephant Six bands was their rampantly exotic experimentation. Along with the backbone of rock (the guitar), any listener could hear a singing saw, fuzz-wah bass, or euphonium on any single album. Ok enough history.

Of Montreal is no exception to this rule. Each new release peels back a new layer of highly stylized pop. From The Gay Parade’s tumbling vaudeville and music hall slight of hand to Satanic Panic In The Attic’s electronic glam pop and Prince-like funk, this Athens, GA troupe is a lightening bolt of surprises.

The band’s less-than-cohesive structure could easily detract any semblance of meaning past basal novelty, but front-man Kevin Barnes and his troupe release some of the gosh-darn catchiest tunes. Their newest album, Hissing Fauna, continues their plunge into electronics; a journey that started with Satanic Panic.

Their new glowing album of pop found its genesis in Barnes’ time spent in Norway in 2004, when his daughter Alabee was born. Barnes and his wife Nina had no health insurance and decided to relocate to Nina’s hometown of Oslo for the health benefits the Norwegian government offers artists. During that time Barnes wrestled with a severe bout of depression and culture shock. As a result, Hissing Fauna is yet again another divergence in his writing career. It is as blisteringly personal as his harmonies and melodic structures are on other albums.

Barnes’ depression is apparent on many songs on the album. “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse” starts with its opening plea of “I’m in a crisis, I need help. Come on, mood, shift, shift back to good again, come on, be a friend!” It takes is a brutalized picture of Barnes’ drowning depression but the lyrics decorate an optimistic and flying synth melody.

“Gronlandic Edit” also showcases the mushrooming patterns of dilated contrasts apparent on the album. Wrapped around the slinkiest Prince bass line are energetic sounds and those same conflicted lyrics. Barnes sings of his desperation in finding no solace at church. In an intermittently vaulted falsetto he sings, “I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god but which one, which one do I choose? Ah, the church is filled with losers psycho or confused.” Like all funk, the repeated melody trots ahead before switching to a surprising chorus and this song’s chorus is delightfully decadent. Pass the pop syrup please.

Despite such sullen lyricism, the rising choruses and aggressive melodies elevate any problems spilling out of Barnes’ ice-bound wounds. The almost immorally catchy “Bunny Ain’t No Kind Of Rider” recalls a night outside of a bar as Barnes raises his musical nose at scenesters and a lesbian named Eva. Barnes pleads with her to stay away because he’s got “a tigress back at home.” This semi autobiographic with its scraping and growling synths is a wonderful midnight crawler.

“She’s The Rejecter” stands out above the other dark pop moments as a blazing torn up punk song. Those punk jeans better be ready to dance because the rifling riffs of this song are a force to be heard. The bleated chorus by Barnes juxtaposed with conflicted thoughts over-paying someone to walk up and hit a girl that left him bitter is blunt and combustible.

Hissing Fauna, like any previous Of Montreal album before it, offers a varied palette and it is fitting that this chiaroscuro-themed album starts with the sound of a baby crying. It is yet another rebirth for Kevin Barnes and Of Montreal.
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