On June 29, Athens-born band of Montreal made their way to Variety Playhouse.
The band, whose name originates from a failed romance between lead singer Kevin Barnes and a woman hailing from Montreal, just released their twenty-fifth album this year, titled “Lady On The Cusp.” Although only nineteen of their albums are full-length, of Montreal has been putting out projects almost every year since 1996.
The setlist pulled from songs across their whole discography. As the show began, four people took to the stage: Barnes, along with a bassist, drummer and keyboard player. The audience quickly realized that they were in for a concert like no other.
They opened with “Blab Sabbath Lathe of Maiden,” a song off their 2022 studio album “Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck.” This song explores love and desire blended with themes of surrealism.
The visuals were colorful and eye-catching. Shapes, patterns, cutouts of people’s faces and animal faces decorated the background throughout the show.
During each song, three dancers came out dressed in different costumes each time. These outfits included creepy masks, animals, astronauts, and a giant robot with light-up wings. They ran around the stage, interacting with each other and the band members. Many of their costumes matched the onstage visuals as well.
One song that stuck out was “Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider,” off of their 2007 album “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?” The song is about a woman who hit on Barnes, and he rejected her. “You ain’t got no soul power,” he sings over and over during the chorus.
Many of the band’s lyrics aren’t burdened by deeper meaning. They write directly from their experiences and beliefs, without sugarcoating or concealing anything with metaphors.
In “Polyaneurism,” Barnes delves into the confusing nature of a polyamorous relationship, as he sings, “She’s not mine, though she’s not his either.”
From their latest album, the song “Yung Hearts Bleed Free” wrestles with aging and self-expression. Barnes seems to feel nostalgic about his youth, with the chorus repeating, “Young hearts bleed freely, young hearts give it away.”
There were two encore songs: “The Party’s Crashing Us” and “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” both about Barnes’ relationships.
The latter discusses the end of Barnes’ marriage. He looks back on his mistakes and likens them to a grotesque animal. He acknowledges later that their “love project [had] so much potential but it’s like [they] weren’t made for this world,” suggesting that their relationship couldn’t endure over time and perhaps might have succeeded in another life.
The juxtaposition of real, personal experiences and surrealism in their songs’ imagery is quite interesting. One on hand, of Montreal’s projects seem otherworldly, but, at the same time, they feel extremely personal.
Of Montreal has found a niche in experimental, highly expressive music that not many artists have ventured into, and it pays off both in their music and their live performances.