Of Montreal – False Priest

Despite being an outspoken fan and proponent, I must make this sorry admission: indie rock isn’t always much fun. Indie bands tend to have a holier-than-thou air about them, while their sound is often abrasive for the mere sake of sounding edgy and different.

The fans are no better, if not worse. Hipsters force their way into cramped Brooklyn clubs to catch the next cool band before they become passé tomorrow. The ritual proceeds with their American Apparel-clad arms folded across their chest, their legs unable to move much for the constraint of their skinny jeans.

The whole atmosphere surrounding indie rock can be so steeped in pretense and self-consciousness that an outsider could hardly perceive it as being even the slightest bit enjoyable. It is thus a blessing that out of this snobby muck indie rock has come Of Montreal.

Of Montreal are an Athens, Ga. band that have been crafting psychedelic pop for nearly fifteen years. What began as group of acoustic-happy Beatleites has however evolved into something much different and better. On their latest — and perhaps best? — album “False Priest,” the band has solidified their spastic 21st Century sound. The result is a wild electronic take on sexy and catchy R&B.

Opening track “I Feel Ya’ Strutter” immediately thrusts you into the “False Priest” party. The song’s pseudo-’70s feel and highly danceable beat make for a killer “want you back, girl” track. Frontman Kevin Barnes doesn’t go strictly Jackson 5 though, bringing his whiteboy falsetto to the chorus and singing off-color lyrics like, “Hey, I’m still way erect for you.”

“False Priest” isn’t just retro-chic. Lead single “Coquet Coquette” is a power chord laden romp, a complement to the much more vindictive lyrics than those featured in “Strutter.” “Famine Affair” is a synth rocker not unlike the sound on last year’s solo effort from Julian Casablancas, lead singer of the Strokes. “Casualty of You” is a soft-spoken ballad driven by piano and an impressive string section.

Fans of Of Montreal’s trippiest moments will be happy to find plenty here. Fuzzy, meandering electronics permeate throughout “False Priest” though never so much as on track “Around the Way.” The song explodes early on, moving to the barely discernible voice of an unknown French-speaking woman and continuing to rise and fall from there. Eventually the song rides out on a lengthy, noisy synth outro. “False Priest” may find some of Of Montreal’s eccentricities tamed, but it’s still their quirkiness that carries their sound.

For all its variety, the album excels most for the brilliantly weird R&B like that in “Strutter.” Well-chosen guests enforce the feel, including the R&B singer and Big Boi protégé Janelle Monae, as well as Beyoncé’s younger sister Solange Knowles. Monae brings her sultry voice to album highlights “Our Rioutous Defects” and “Enemy Gene.” Barnes trades lines with Knowles on the sensual “Sex Karma,” arguably the album’s peak. The list of contributors is rounded out by Kanye West collaborator Jon Brion, the album’s producer. The complete team make for a bumping art pop record.

In the end “False Priest” is packed full of catchy dance hits with lyrics on love found, love lost, plenty of sex and drugs. Given all this is coming from a band known for exotic costumes and riding white stallions onto stage during their live performances. It would seem that in the age of Lady Gaga, Barnes has stepped up to the plate as our new Prince. Who would have thought we’d have found him in some stuck-up indie band?

Grade: A