Of Montreal, of Georgia, released their tenth studio album, False Priest, in September and have embarked on a tour with my girl Janelle Monáe. So what could possible go wrong for this eccentric band of misfits?
The album’s single is “Coquet, Coquette,” a bouncy guitar-heavy track. This track has a very rock feel to it, as opposed to the rest of the album which is … every where else. False Priest runs the risk of getting too out of hands at times, but with producer Jon Brion at the helm (portions of Kanye West’s Late Registration, portions of Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine as well as Grammy nods for the scores of “Magnolia” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), the band is reeled in to make this potential hot mess sound more like a hot plate o’ potatoes! I don’t know exactly what that means, but don’t you want to eat it!?
Tracks like “I Feel Ya’ Strutter,” “Godly Intersex” and “Girl Named Hello” make the album reminiscent of Scissor Sisters, the Bee Gees and even a little bit of Muse. False Priest also features vocal performances by Monáe (“Our Riotous Defects”; “Enemy Gene”) and Solange Knowles (“Sex Karma”), which keeps it in the family since Of Montreal lead singer Kevin Barnes produced both Monáe’s and Knowles’ recent albums.
False Priest is a fun distraction from the more standard, run-of-the-mill albums that are nicely put together in such a way that makes you comfortable with your conventional life. But it’s not something I’d spin on repeat. Barnes’ voice is a little out of control and the album is just plain weird at times, but it’s a fun record when enjoyed in moderation.
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
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