Of Montreal formed in the mid 90's and is one of my favorite pop bands. When I say pop I don't mean bands like Good Charlotte or Simple Plan. I'll explain later but just so you know Of Montreal is not like the two bands I mentioned above. In my opinion Of Montreal does not get the credit they deserve and is one of the most underated pop bands of all time. This is Of Montreal's seventh album, and although it wasn't anything mindblowing it is still a solid album.
This is an excellent pop album. Sugary keyboards, catchy guitar riffs, and funky synth sounds is what this album consists of. I would say that this is a blend of old 70's pop music, psychadelica, and rock music. When you mix these genres together you get something very catchy and accessible. This album is upbeat, fun, joyful, and very happy. Although there are some more depressing tracks I would say that this album is definately upbeat. This is pop music, but when Of Montreal mixes in hints of psychadelica, funk, rock, and atmospheric sounds it makes everything so interesting. This album is just pure fun, and it never gets old. If you are looking for some fun, quirky pop music than look no further The Sunlandic Twins is the perfect album for you.
The instruments play fairly simple roles, the guitar obviously being the main key. Throughout catchy riffs, chords, and brief solos the guitar is what really makes the music come to life. The guitar lines are just so catchy, they will be stuck in your head for days. The keyboard is the next big instrument. Funky synth noises, chords, and even dominating a few tracks the keyboard shows up often on this album. The keyboard gives this album a funky, psychadelic, synth-rock feel to these songs. It creates a quirky, and upbeat feel that makes these songs even more catchy. The iceing on the cake would have to be the bass. It shows up frequently and although it doesn't do anything special it is easy to hear on a few tracks. The instruments combine to make a fun, quirky, pop album with some minor influences of psychadelica, rock, and funk.
Kevin Barnes is an amazing songwriter and also an amazing vocalist. His vocal delivery is like your average pop band. High-pitched, quirky, and joyful, that is basically all that you can say about his vocals. Although he can be charming at times, he can also be ultra annoying. If you're not in the mood for some happy pop music you will want to kill this man. Even though this goes well with the upbeat sound of the instruments it can be annoying at times. Barnes vocals are excellent, even though they may annoy some people.
There are some downsides to this album which makes it from being an excellent or a superb album. I have noticed a decline in the number of tracks from Of Montreal. They went from 22 or 21 tracks in there earlier albums all the way down to 13 tracks. That's not exactly a bad thing but considering that three of these tracks are instrumentals that means 10 tracks with lyrics, and even though you don't need lyrics to create good music it just really doesn't work well. The other problem is that the album seems to be lacking something. While these songs are catchy and upbeat there isn't enough substance to keep this album from being a bore at times. I enjoy just about all of these tracks, but sometimes this music seems bland. Other than that this album has no other flaws.
Overall this is an excellent pop album. The hooks are catchy, the synth noises are superb and this album strives when you want some upbeat and joyful music. Even though these songs can sound bland and dull at times it doesn't bring the album down that much. With thirteen tracks and three of them being instrumentals there is some filler, but once again it doesn't bring the album down too much. This is like heaven for pop fans. Sugary guitar riffs, poppy keyboards and with Kevin Barnes happy vocal delivery this music is pure fun. If you want some sugary pop music than you should really pick up The Sunlandic Twins because there is no better album if you like that kind of music.
Overall Rating : 4/5
ros: Catchy songs // Fun and upbeat // No Bad Tracks
Cons: Vocals can get annoying // Thirteen tracks and three instrumentals
Recommended Tracks :Requiem For O.M.M.2 // The Party Is Crashing Us // Oslo In The Summertime
