of Montreal, the American rock band whose music ranges from psychedelic pop to electronic funk, is on tour in support of their latest releases Paralytic Stalks and Daughter of Cloud. They will be performing at the 9:30 Club this Friday, and we’re giving away tickets.
Founded by Kevin Barnes in 1996, of Montreal’s style combines musical experimentation with pop. Their sound has continued to evolve from the upbeat twee pop of their 1997 debut Cherry Peel to 2007’s well-received Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? to this year’s Paralytic Stalks. Recorded in Barnes’s own Sunlandic Studios, he had the help of Kishi Bashi and a number of other session musicians.
Consequence of Sound reviewed the new album and concluded with this: “While many will be quick to tag this album with descriptors like “divisive,” “difficult,” and, of course, “pretentious,” the mere fact is that Kevin Barnes—easily one of the most compelling musical minds in the business today—and his unbridled ambition are well-intact, and indeed still evolving. More than a decade and half into his career, Paralytic Stalks is a fascinating listen, for both old fans and new.”
After the band’s eleventh consecutive album, Daughter of Sound was released this fall as a collection of unreleased songs from the past five years. Geared towards hardcore of Montreal fans, the album features Barnes’s talent as a singer-songwriter along with his pursuit of creative freedom.
of Montreal are legendary for on-stage antics such as having Barnes sing on a live horse. Enter to win the pair of tickets in the comments below with your nomination for artist or band with the best on-stage antics. I’m going with Sufjan Stevens for the wheel he had audience members spin to choose the next song when I saw him on tour for Christmas.
The winner will be chosen at noon on Wednesday, December 12. Tickets are still available.
