Everyone knows the traditional band progression goes something like this:

Album #1: hotshot debut
Album #2: disappointing sophomore slump
Album #3: blatant radio pandering
Album #4: slightly more experimental blatant radio-pandering
Album #5: departure project
Album #6: rock opera

Of Montreal apparently slept in on this day of Rock School, however, as their sixth album has been pegged in advance as their Singles Album. No, it's not a soundtrack to Matt Dillon in flannel, but rather a collection of self-contained short-short stories-- a departure from their usual hyper-illustrated, album-length sugar-high epics. Of course, in hallowed days of yore, "single" would also imply radio play, but in today's close-minded climate of your Clear Channel monopoly and your bling-bling and...

[Join Rob later today in the Crotchety Old Rock Critic chat room for the conclusion of this rant.]

Accordingly, everything about Adlhils Arboretum is kept somewhat restrained compared to the Of Montreal gnomes and pixies' usual habits. David Barnes' children's book artwork exchanges rainbow explosion mini-murals for mere caricatures of band members (examples: Valkyrie, Hindu god, Napoleon) and the longest song title is a terse seven words. Also left off the roster are the calliope segues, the circus orchestra arrangements, and the twenty-minute symphonies for solo piano. Without all these distractions on board, the spotlight rests solely on the songwriting abilities of one Mr Kevin Barnes. Does he rise to the challenge? Survey says!

Yes: A smattering of tracks say so, exhibiting a tasty balance between Of Montreal's lyrical world of mystery-flavor-popsicle whimsy and shower singalong ditties. Some highlights could've been dissected into two or three quality pop songs, like "Isn't It Nice?", with its brisk acoustic and accordion illustration of pastoral oddness, or "Kid Without Claws", about-- well, damned if I know, but it involves a whole labyrinth of melodic twists and a bombastic horn-fed chorus. "Jennifer Louise", meanwhile, is about as straightforward a composition as we're likely to ever hear out of Barnes, distant-family power-pop that borrows an engine from Fountains of Wayne.

No: Of Montreal always cuts pretty close to grating, but it's somehow easy to forgive moments of excessive cartoonishness when it's set in the context of an entire animated epic. Set adrift on their own, however, songs like "Pancakes for One" and "We Are Destroying This Song" are especially hard to swallow.

Also No: Turning away from their usual concept album gimmickry also exposes their underbelly of influences, which, unsurprisingly for an Elephant 6 band, seems 70% comprised of mop-top Brits. "Doing Nothing" cops the cluster-riff of "I Feel Fine" (but is still a three-quarters good song) and "Desperately Sulking Sara" channels "Girl"-ish breathlessness. "Natalie and Effie in the Park" swipes Queen's dandy fop material, though in my opinion, more people need to rip off Queen, so I'll overlook it.

Maybe: A more complex criticism would be to ask the Expos why they seem to equate "single" with "guitar-driven", as Andy Gonzales is given license to noodle all over the majority of Aldhils' tracks. While understatement has never been Of Montreal's superpower, the guitars set on constant solo setting during "An Ode to the Nocturnal Muse" and "Old People in the Cemetery" (the latter even working in some Frampton-style Talking Guitar at the end!) is distracting and less fulfilling than their last album's piano focus. Coquelicot and the Absurdly Ridiculously Unfortunately Lengthy Album Title somehow sneaked onto my 2001 list as a (seemingly) last gasp of my E6 fandom, but Aldhils Arboretum and its inverted career-path singles focus disappoints.

-Rob Mitchum, October 15th, 2002