of Montreal don’t ever seem to rest. They have followed up quickly to last year’s album Paralytic Stalks, as they have just announced their new album: lousy with sylvianbriar. It will come out via Polyvinyl on October 8.
They’ve cut loose of the track “fugitive air”, a mellow airy track that shows a more relaxed version of Kevin Barnes. No surprise, as he took a new approach while recording the new album. He re-located to San Francisco, channeling the city’s energy into his songwriting. He then returned home to Athens, Georgia and got a fresh batch of musicians to begin the sessions.
Barnes took a back to basics sort of approach, leaving behind the digital enhancements of computer recording, instead turning to a 24 track tape machine to lay down his tracks. The band got everything that they put into the recordings right back, with the tracking recorded live with the band playing in the same room together. The album was recorded in 3 weeks. This was ideal for Barnes, who wanted to record this album is the way people sued to make them back in the 60s/early 70s. He said:
I wanted to work fast and to maintain a high level of spontaneity and immediacy. I wanted the songs to be more lyric driven, and for the instrumental arrangements to be understated and uncluttered”
I think this process shines through on “fugitive air”, as it’s something that seems as natural as the stuff that did come out during the 60s. It’s one of the most instantly gratifying songs you’ve ever heard from of Montral. Stream it below.
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