'Hissing
Fauna, Are You The Destroyer’ is the 8th album by ‘Of
Montreal’ i.e. Kevin Barnes, who is responsible for this
remarkable one-man operation. This concept album, released whilst
Barnes was on anti-depressants, was developed with assistance
from friends and family including James Huggins, (the Late B.P.
Helium), Nina Twin (Barnes' wife), Heather McIntosh, Georgie Fruit
(a glam rock alter-ego of Barnes), and Alabee Blonde (Barnes'
daughter). The stunning packaging and art-work which adorns the
album (and all ‘Of Montreal’ releases) is the work
of Barnes brother, David Barnes.
‘Hissing Fauna…..’ is an album of two parts
with the meandering 12min dark-electro pop epic, ‘The Past
Is a Grotesque Animal’ being the transformation were Barnes
marks his change into Georgie Fruit. The albums first part was
developed by Barnes after spending time alone in Norway in which
he went through an intense depression. Instead of channelling
this into his music, Barnes “tried to uplift (his) life
with sound” and this is plain to see in the unfettered pomp
and swagger which forms the backbone of the album.
As with previous releases, ‘Of Montreal’ cover an
impressive spectrum of styles, moods and genres, both instrumentally
and vocally. These range from the high-tempo sixties influenced
rollercoaster of the opener ‘Suffer for Fashion’,
the subtle Scandinavian-IDM influence of ‘Cato as a Pun’
right through to the neo-funk grooves and falsetto vocals of ‘Gronlandic
Edit’. Elsewhere, listeners are treated to the refreshing
anti-scenester stance of ‘Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider’
and the brilliantly arranged and unhinged jazz-funk of ‘Faberge
Falls For Shuggie’ which is brimming with a Prince-esque
sexual swagger, a theme that is continued into the appropriately
titled follow-up ‘Labyrinthian Pomp’. What ‘Of
Montreal’ do so brilliantly is that they interlace a wide
range of styles and influences into one track with unrestricted
ease, rapidly covering territories as diverse as 80’s synth
pop, 60’s acid rock, 00’s indie-punk and 70’s
funk. In addition to the diverse instrumental tapestry, Barnes
lays his heart on the line throughout the album, addressing personal
issues such as family, self-improvement, love, belonging and religion.
As with previous releases, tracks are not separated and thus crash
into each other to create a wonderful sense of continuity and
therefore, give the impression of immediate ‘switches’.
‘Hissing Fauna…’ is a multi-dimensional and
skilfully arranged piece of art that is brimming to the rim with
ideas. Furthermore, it is lavishly produced and the continuous
interlacing of styles injects longevity which makes this an album
that will sound different every time you hear it.
For fans of: Elephant Six, TV on the Radio, Arctic Monkey’s,
Grandaddy, Belle & Sebastian, Prince, Stereolab, (I told you
it was diverse)
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