Of Montreal
Lousy with Sylvianbriar
Funk
??1/2
In the wake of fantastic neo-psychedelic releases like Tame Impala’s Lonerism (and more recently, MGMT’s self-titled third album), the newest album from Of Montreal, Lousy with Sylvianbriar, seems enslaved to its influences. Of Montreal leader Kevin Barnes has said that influences for the album came from classic ‘60s acts like the Grateful Dead. The band takes this influence seriously, replicating the Dead’s classic American Beauty’s loose, tie-dye Americana. Lousy lacks the streamlined feel and surprising turns of classic Of Montreal releases like 2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, though the record manages to be a pleasant and breezy endeavor, albeit a bit boring.
The strange thing about Lousy is that there really isn’t a bad song on it — there just aren’t any good ones either. A full listen through the entire record is an interesting experience, though an entirely forgotten one. From the “Truckin’”-esque chug of “Belle Glade Missionaries” to the soft, Kinksian ballad “Amphibian Days,” the record manages to mimic each of its influences with admirable precision.
The lone memorable track on Lousy is the aptly titled “Triumph of Disintegration,” which uses its shuffling verses to build momentum to a sucker punch of a chorus. And while the lyrics still leave much to be desired, the sonic dynamic of the track shows exactly how much potential the album had.
Of Montreal has always proven itself most adept at modulating indie rock heartbreak through the filter of Prince’s hard funk (as the band does on Destroyer). Though a change of influence is not unwelcome, the results as found on Lousy are ultimately unexciting. And while groups like MGMT and Tame Impala have shown psychedelia to still be fertile ground for contemporary rock artists, Of Montreal seems lost in the ‘60s.
— James Butler
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