By Nick Walters

Of Montreal’s new effort, “Skeletal Lamping,” released on Oct. 21, is a crazed psychedelic adventure with many genre-bending points along the way. Hailing from Athens, Ga., the band is fronted by the eccentric vocalist and songwriter Kevin Barnes. The songwriting style of Barnes can best be described as the essence of a schizophrenic kid, with a touch of ADD, who happens to have a very large record collection.

His style changes from track to track, sometimes even having many genre shifts within the same song. This makes the record very enjoyable when listening through it continuously and gives the listener a feeling of being in a disco club on Mars.

Past Of Montreal albums have been full of songs that resemble character studies, but with “Skeletal Lamping,” Barnes seems to be focusing his interest inward. The new songs focus on his life and the life of his alter ego, Georgie Fruit. In an interview last year, Barnes described his alter ego.

“The character’s name is Georgie Fruit, and he’s in his late 40s, a black man who has been through multiple sex changes,” Barnes said. “He’s been a man and a woman, and then back to a man. He’s been to prison a couple of times.”

When listening to the album it is easy to realize which songs were written from Fruit’s perspective. The song “Wicked Wisdom” is a perfect example of this. It starts off with a very danceable beat and a falsetto vocal before switching to a funky bass line that would make Beck envious. Then Barnes spews out the lines, “I’m just a black she-male/ and I don’t know what you people are all about.”

“Skeletal Lamping” is overflowing with weird sexual overtones, but the record can basically be summed up as a very creative pop album that is full of love songs. Personally, I really enjoy Of Montreal’s new album and their older works as well, but for the average music listener the band could be a bit much to swallow. Their exploration of multiple styles and genres can easily turn people off who don’t necessarily enjoy a great amount of experimentation within music, but for those with an open mind, I would definitely recommend “Skeletal Lamping.”

Essential Downloads: “And I’ve Seen a Bloody Shadow” and “Wicked Wisdom.”