Artist Of Montreal

Jim Newberry

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Of Montreal

Just listening to Of Montreal’s shimmering electro-pop, there would be no way of knowing that shows can involve live horses onstage, body paint, and full-frontal nudity. That’s because the band has managed to simultaneously straddle the more experimental scene it grew out of (the Elephant 6 collective that also spawned Neutral Milk Hotel and Elf Power) and the warm embrace of the quasi-mainstream. (The song “Wraith Pinned To The Mist (And Other Games)” was reworded for an Outback commercial.) Born out of the rich Athens, Ga., music scene, Of Montreal has earned a rep for turning out easy-to-enjoy records, like 2008’s Skeletal Lamping, while cranking up the weird factor onstage—especially since frontman Kevin Barnes discovered his black alter ego, George Fruit.

Updated 10/21/2009