Crate Digger’s Corner: Of Montreal- Satanic Panic In The Attic [Polyvinyl Record Co., 2004]
Crate Digger’s Corner…by DJ Musically Rich
(If you’d like to listen to a track from the album as you read, go to the end of the post to start the song)
What would happen if The Beatles and Talking Heads had a musical baby? You might get this album (as well as a couple of others by this band) from Of Montreal founder, Kevin Barnes. This album incorporates heavy doses of influence from the Fab Four, especially in the melodies and vocal harmonies. New Wave is also an obvious influence on this album, as well as other dance rock and electronic music.
The album starts off very strongly, with the first five songs creating a continuous flow and are all individually strong on their own as well. The opening two songs, ‘Disconnect The Dots’ and ‘Lysergic Bliss’, are probably the two catchiest songs on the album. Song six, ’Eros’ Entropic Tundra’, ends that opening run of songs. As the album moves into the second half, nothing changes except the songs are no longer running continuously and the songs take just a slight dip in their memorability. That’s not to say that they still aren’t quality. Song seven, ‘City Bird’, is a straight-ahead acoustic ballad that sounds like it could have been a song left on the “Rubber Soul” cutting room floor. You also have the New Wave-bop of ‘Chrissy Kiss The Corpse’ or ‘How Lester Lost His Wife’ and its psychedelic breakdowns. In short, it’s not that the second half of the album isn’t very good, it just doesn’t quite catch up to the excellent first half.
Kevin Barnes has steered this band in many different directions throughout the years (and continues to do so), and largely has released at least very good albums overall (there have been a few misses through the years, but not many). If you’re looking for a musically upbeat album, it makes a great party album and just a very good album in general. It will undoubtedly want to make you pull out some of your old records as you hear the influences of the album.
Stars: 4/5
Available on: CD/LP/LP+7”/2LP
RIYL: The Beatles- Rubber Soul/ Beach Boys- Pet Sounds/ The Apples In Stereo- The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone/ Kula Shaker- Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts
To see photos of other albums in my collection follow my IG: djmusicallyrich
To listen to a track from the album…