C/D: The Use of teh wrod "poppet" in Of Montreal's "Disconnect the Dots"

That's lovely, poppet.

I was gonna ask if you consider yourself to be a poppet, aDam!

...yes

(?)

Certainly I think I'm capable of being one.

that's a good song.

I think JW is gonna not be happy to discover an Of Montreal thread on this bored.

If so, then he is not a poppet!

well duh.

FROM THE PITCHFORK REVIEW:

"'Disconnect the Dots' begins with a Doppler-affected drum sample, before the abrupt appearance of both handclaps and a verifiably indelible guitar riff. Seconds later, Barnes arrives, bearing an invitation: 'Come disconnect the dots with me, poppy,' he intones, before deliquescing into a blissful mini-chorus."

Of Montreal
The Sunlandic Twins
[Polyvinyl; 2005]
Rating: 6.4

One drawback of being a great songwriter is that consistency is often mistaken for monotony. Witness: Of Montreal lead man Kevin Barnes, who has made his name on mirthful choruses that often sound suspiciously similar. But Barnes is anything but short on ideas, as Satanic Panic in the Attic, the band's 2004 chef d'ouvre, attests. Cumulative yet innovative, the album douses classically saccharine and vaguely psychedelic indie pop in gratuitous amounts of syrup. The key: Of Montreal handle the powerful flavors with soufflé-like gentleness.

By contrast, The Sunlandic Twins, the band's new album, is like a restaurant with multiple Michelin stars serving Sno-Cones. Missing Satanic Panic's multidimensionality, the album feels like the hollowed-out shell of something great. Barnes can sleepwalk through a book of staff paper and come away with a set of leakproof pop songs-- or, in this case, a "foray into 21st century A.D.D. electro cinematic avant-disco-- and that effortlessness lends Of Montreal's music a sort of indifference. The high-glucose diet that fueled the band's previous outings has landed them in a sugar coma. Blissfully adrift, The Sunlandic Twins lacks the essential reflexivity of Satanic Panic in the Attic's ethereally silly pop gems.

The Sunlandic Twins isn't without its share of coruscating hooks and major-key shenanigans. "Requiem for O.M.M." is powered by a galloping bass line, which draws back to let the succinct two-line chorus take center stage. Barnes' kaleidoscopic artwork (somebody give this man a larger format) complements the music, especially "I Was Never Young": both seem plucked from the overripe fantasy realms of "Sonic the Hedgehog". The song features a laid-back, strutting rhythm, onto which the instrumentation gradually builds until a trumpet fanfare calls in a tempo change. Abetted by handclaps and a bopping guitar line, the section recalls Satanic Panic's snaking, poperatic song structures.

Elsewhere, "Forecast Fascist Future" and "So Begins Our Alabee" are airy but satisfying, meeting their melody quota while managing to have some fun with synthesizers. But around its midway point, The Sunlandic Twins takes a strange turn. "So Begins Our Alabee" initiates the second act: a self-styled electro pop opera with a startling lack of, well, songs. This independent, self-contained experiment has no business intermingling with the respectable opening set. A few tracks outshine their surroundings by dint of simplicity. "Oslo in the Summertime" rescues a glistening chorus from the maw of wandering pianos, twittering drum machines, and synth glides sandwiching it. "October Is Eternal", meanwhile, is admirable only for its titular appositeness: The song milks a discordant piano dirge for nearly three minutes before fizzling out in an ululating vocal loop and cheap-o MIDI instruments.

Of Montreal have always been silly, but The Sunlandic Twins is plain daffy. "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" and "The Party's Crashing Us" are condescendingly aloof, piling on excessive amounts of sound: On the latter, a traffic jam of synths produces the oversaturated colors of a mangled paint palette. Particularly annoying among the record's contrivances is its frivolous use of drum machines, which skip and stutter when the songs call for simple beats.

Barnes is still an impeccable craftsman, but these songs won't make your brain spongy like Satanic Panic's "Lysergic Bliss". This time, it sounds like Barnes is the one whose brain is gummed up. Of Montreal have accomplished the rare feat of honing an unusually nuanced signature sound. But with such a skilled songwriter at the helm, they should be making great records, checking the conceptual dalliances at the door.

-Sam Ubl, April 12, 2005

I'm your poppet

This album is great!

And word to you, Deaner.

Tim, you need a number system! 8.4?

Fuckin' 10/10

I listened to "So Begins Our Alabee" and thought it was just okay, but no "Disconnect the Dots."

Yeah, they're different songs.

"Disconnect the Dots" = cruise in cartoon space ship
"So Begins Our Alabee" = kickass rocket ride

I think I would like this record

i like it quite a bit. gonna write it up tomorrow on the prl if i have time.
m.

11.1

dont like it.

Are there songs about him being in love with his brother on this one? I didn't pick up on any.

it's just weird dudes. for example, "october is eternal" is like new romantic drill and bass or something. but then it'll revert to a sort of warm downbeat sullen pop tune. it's definitely very much still of montreal tho. that's for sure.

m.

the song that's on fluxblog today is kinda fun.

perpetua certainly has a future in midbrow adcopy ass kissing, or so i've been told by public radio and ILM

I do like the new record but not like DAMN

DO THE OF MONTREAL HEADS ON THIS BOARD AGREE THAT "THE PARTY'S CRASHING US" IS THE GREATEST OF ALL OF THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM??!!

alabee

ALABEE!

The Party's Crashing Us sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog (in a good way), but for real Alabee hands down.

ok, so i d/l'd "the party's crashing us," and it may be my favorite of the three i've heard.

You have not heard enough!
Not nearly enough!

They're playing here in LA tonight, but I'm kept away by their love of long, pointless skits.

so you're not going? should i go? is it worth it?

I'm going tomorrow. Want to see them do this stuff live, of course!

If you've never seen then, I'd say that it's worth the $10. I really wanted to see this album performed live but I'm on the fence for going out tonight in general, so no Of Montreal, I guess.

Warnings: on the last tour they played Satanic Attic almost completely, BUT there were skits between the songs. Really bad skits. Also, it's not at the Echo anymore (or the Ex_Plex whatever) ... it's been moved to some theatre on Hollywood that I've never heard of.

SECOND BEST (POSSIBLY BEST OF ALL!): "EVERY DAY FEELS LIKE SUNDAY!"

SOME OF THE OLD OF MONTREAL FANZ ON THE ELEPHANT 6 BOARD THEY DO NOT LIKE ANY SYNTHESIZER AND THEY DO NOT LIKE A DRUM MACHINE THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.

anyone on an elephant 6 board is retarded by default