Of Montreal
The Early Four Track Recordings
[Kindercore]
Rating: 7.8
There's a fine line between cute and terrifying. The grand prize for, ahem,
straddling this line, doubtless goes to the Japanese. Just tune into "Pokémon"
or their other bizarre, anime-tinged creations for proof. Pikachu might strike
you as a cute, cuddly companion, but piss him off and he'll zap your ass faster
than you can drop $2000 on his limited-edition trading cards. Not that I'd
know or anything.
While the Japanese may lay claim to the crown for traumatizing our children by
mixing the harmless with the violent and disturbing, Kindercore runs a close
second. That Masters of the Hemisphere disc may have seemed like a fun-lovin'
romp through innocuous twee-pop fields. But its horrid combination of bad
music, bad art, and mind-bendingly illogical storytelling had many listeners
in a fetal position, begging for the sweet release of death.
Luckily, Kindercore is home to one band that's managed to put the blurry
distinction between the darling and the disgusting to use for the powers of
good, rather than evil: Of Montreal. As the sappiest, most sugary, and
probably most talented group on Kindercore's roster, Kevin Barnes and company
have managed to pump out some of the most sickly sweet pop music in my
collection. So sweet, in fact, that it's at times bordered on terrifying--
a dizzying, disorienting sugar rush that, while probably not very good for
you, leaves you wanting more.
The Early Four Track Recordings is a collection of demos-- mostly
recorded by a solo Kevin Barnes before Of Montreal released any official
material-- with each track incorporating Dustin Hoffman into its title.
It's also packaged in a jewel case that contains images of psychotic
children in chains, mole-birds, and bizarre skull creatures. What the hell?
Luckily, the music contained within is less alarming.
In fact, The Early Four Track Recordings may very well be the least
cloyingly saccharine album released under the Of Montreal moniker to date.
Kevin Barnes' masterful pop songwriting is in prime form, with the occasionally
overpowering sound of Of Montreal playing as a full band is replaced by a more
stripped-down, acoustic feel. Songs like "Dirty Dustin Hoffman Needs a Bath"
and "Dustin Hoffman Thinks about Eating the Soap" are classic Kevin Barnes:
peppy, poppy, and slightly insane. "Dustin Hoffman Quits Bathroom and Climbs a
Tree" couples a flawlessly delivered vocal melody with hypnotic backwards
guitar, resulting in one of the best tracks Barnes has ever committed to tape.
But given that The Early Four Track Recordings is a compilation, it
comes as no surprise that it's not a particularly even album. "Dustin Hoffman
Gets a Bath" is a bit too corny to be anything but annoying, and much of the
record's midsection suffers from competent, but not particularly memorable
songwriting. But while many of these tracks are less than stellar, none of
the 16 Hoffman-inspired tracks ever approach being unlistenable.
Sometimes lackluster songwriting aside, The Early Four Track Recordings
is a must for fans anxiously awaiting the upcoming Coquelicot Asleep in the
Poppies, and a perfectly good starting point for those who might find Of
Montreal's over the top pop intimidating. Whereas Of Montreal's proper albums
can leave you with a pounding ice cream headache, The Early Four Track
Recordings gives you almost all the goodness with none of the harmful side
effects.
-Matt LeMay