False Priest's cover art is a grotesque mess, which sorta sums up Of Montreal's music. The revolving collective's tenth album comes down from the alter-ego orgies of 2008's Skeletal Lamping, with lots of hate ("Go away/ You're a bad thing/ Useless thing") and incoherence ("I can't cope with such an abstract blackmail domination spasm") from frontman Kevin Barnes. In one song he laments supporting the blog of a "crazy girl" and fades out on a flute solo; in another he proclaims, "We dance for miscarriages." Limited to a three-chord crunch in "Coquet Coquette," Barnes comes off like a long-winded showoff concerned more with cramming in words than playing interesting notes. "Enemy Gene" provides a rare sympathetic moment — "How can I trust my fractious heart/Knowing I have the enemy gene?" he sings. But most listeners will most likely identify with another line: "If I treated someone else the way I treat myself, I'd be in jail."
Dan Weiss writes about music for Metro Times. Send comments to [email protected].
