False Priest

of Montreal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 2010)
• Original Release Date: September 14, 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polyvinyl Records
• ASIN: B003U42ZM4
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,389 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Teaming up with Grammy-nominated producer Jon Brion (Kanye West, Fiona Apple), of Montreal's mastermind Kevin Barnes traveled to famed Ocean Way Recording (Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra) to record False Priest, his self-professed masterpiece. False Priest is speaker-rattling heavy on the low end and features appearances by Janelle Monáe and Solange Knowles (Beyoncé's sister).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Of Montreal - False Priest September 14, 2010

By Andrew Vice

Format:Audio CD

Of Montreal, well-known as the venting mechanism for one Kevin Barnes, is back with an LP of brand new material. Following in the vein of Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? and Skeletal Lamping, False Priest is an eclectic mix of funky indie pop and spazzy R&B jams. Of Montreal has changed significantly since its Beatles-esque first incarnation, the obvious turning point being Satanic Panic in the Attack, which was perhaps the first point at which Barnes successfully synthesized his varied tastes into an engaging and exciting piece of work. On Hissing Fauna, he chronicled his personal transformation through a difficult point in his life, coming out on the other side of The Past is a Grotesque Animal as the sexually empowered Georgie Fruit. He then gave full control to his fickle muse on Skeletal Lamping, a product with a handful of truly brilliant moments surrounded by schizophrenic fluff, which tends to play out a little too long and a little too obtuse to have staying power. Following Skeletal Lamping, False Priest sees Barnes scaling back his insanity, instead carefully dialing it in to hit on a compelling blend of creativity and precision, the latter of which was very much lacking from Skeletal Lamping.

Opener I Feel Ya' Stutter has some of the aforementioned schizo elements from Skeletal Lamping, but I think that as on Hissing Fauna, False Priest chronicles a transformation from Georgie Fruit back into a new hybrid character, someone with both the creativity and the pop sensibilities. Coquet Coquette has a bit of a Led Zeppelin stomp to it, which deep, billowing guitars and a driving rhythm section. The contributions of Janelle Monae and Solane Knowles on Enemy Gene and Sex Karma respectively are not to be overlooked. Two of the album's strongest tracks, the former has a powerful note of self doubt and introspection while the latter absolutely oozes sexuality.

Hissing Fauna, through my ears, was unquestionably Kevin Barnes' opus, and I don't suspect that he's going to ever top it without his life being thrown into serious turmoil again, but that's ok, because after the growing pains of Skeletal Lamping, Barnes has found his stride, effectively creating a record that sounds entirely like Of Montreal while still refusing to play it safe.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardest to get into, hardest to get over December 3, 2010

By StephW

Format:MP3 Music

When I first listened to this album, I was bitterly disappointed. I am a huge fan of Of Montreal since Hissing Fauna. I have become even more fan since I have listened to their other work. But then come False Priest and for the first time I thought I would have to say that they or he (Barnes) produced something relatively bad. But then, I took on me to listen several times to the album. And oh jeez, what a good idea! This is perhaps not the best artistic work of Barnes but it is undoubtedly for me the most fun album I have listened in years. Many songs will just get your feet dancing, your voice singing and your head spinning. It is true that some lyrics are abstract to the extreme but somehow you can relate to them. Why? Because Barnes writes about life. Do not hesitate to spend some time with this record, you will never ever regret it!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild! September 14, 2010

By Nse Ette TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

The first time I came across Of Montreal was on genre hopper Janelle Monáe's "The Archandroid" album. They appear on the quirky "Make the bus" and that was enough to make me take note.

"False priest" runs along similar rails; quirky Indie Funk tunes set to groovy bass, tight harmonies and cryptic lyrics. The production is Hi Fi with live instrumentation for a full sound.

Monáe appears on the off kilter Disco of "Our riotous defects" and on "Enemy gene". Beyoncé's sister Solange continues to make interesting collaboration choices and appears on "Sex karma" (and gets likened to a playground) which segues seamlessly into the Funky "Girl named hello" (I love the song titles).

"Coquet coquette" starts with a machine gun spagetti western guitar riff and is incredibly catchy and groovy. "Godly intersex" is a midtempo organ-sprinkled number, "Like a tourist" is like a futuristic James Brown, while the spoken-word "Do you mutilate?" is sung in a Prince-style falsetto and takes a look at failings of religion. "False priest" is a wild and fun ride!