Of Montreal Get Their Freak On

As far as I can tell, our review of Of Montreal’s last album triggered nearly all of the publicists from the PR company the band uses, Girlie Action, to drop S&S from their mailing lists, to the level that they barely even email us press releases anymore. Which is pretty funny, because it harms their clients more than anything, but hey, music publicity is dying along with music journalism, which is a rant unto itself and don’t get me started, bruh.

Back to the matter at hand. Though we were denied the giddy excitement of opening our emailbox to a press release or download or whatever, somehow we are still aware of a new Of Montreal album, called UR FUN, released via Polyvinyl on Jan. 17. We are also aware that Kevin Barnes is in luuuuuuvvvvv, since it seems to be the overriding talking point of the whole thing this time, and there’s a snapshot of him and his girl on the cover instead of an intricate psychedelic illustration by his brother, and, oh yeah, his girlfriend’s band Locate S, 1 opens for Of Montreal almost everywhere nowadays. Hey, good for him. Glad he’s disgustingly happy.

I get the impression that UR FUN is meant to be a fun, playful album, at least more so than some of Of Montreal’s headier efforts. But, cripes, it just makes me wince. Recorded by Barnes all by hisself in Athens, their 16th album is more o’ dat flaccid dancyprancy ’80s pop worship from someone who wishes he was Prince but instead is just the ultimate whiny bitch socialist soy boy in Soy Boy Central. It almost makes me miss Reptar. Almost.