Of Montreal
The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy
Kindercore
I’ve suspected that Of Montreal shares members with Tampa/Athens’ Miss America/Chocolate USA, simply because they take the same cheerful and unique approach to their melodies, and neither is above resorting to a chorus of kazoos as a backing track. The Bedside Drama is a beautifully-rendered pop record, full of acoustic strumming and transparently-produced pop ditties that seem to trace romance from inception to disintegration. There are a few pieces that stray from Of Montreal’s chords-follow-melody approach, but their style fits in somehow – “The Couple’s First Kiss” has chiming guitars, xylphones, and other unidentified sound sources accentuated by slide whistles.
By the time it ends (“It’s Easy to Sleep When You’re Dead”), I’m feeling sad and eager to return to the early days, when the songs were in the single digits and everything seemed happier. But even when things are bad, the music’s good. A great little operetta, sure to please fans of old-time clever pop like the Lovin’ Spoonful. Kindercore Records, P.O. Box 361, Athens, GA 30603
