Kevin Barnes is a lyrical savant who’s capable of weaving together seemingly disparate topics into a colorful narrative of thoughts and feelings and ideas and observations he expels in streams of inspired brilliance too clever and literary and pop art appealing for their own good.
He makes you laugh, he makes you think, he makes you stop what you’re doing and wonder what the fuck is going on and how the fuck it got to this point? And suddenly, you’re singing along to all the outrageous hooks and Facebooking classic confuse-your-friends phrases like “You fetishize the archetype” and “Who’s your reggae woman now, do you even know?” because his wailing multi-tracked falsetto has rooted itself into your gray matter so deeply that all you can do is regurgitate, then re-listen like some sort of sonic drug addict who just can’t get enough since you’re constantly discovering a new aural high to absorb.
Barnes has shifted sonic gears for of Montreal’s 10th and latest, False Priest. While it’s still packed with unexpected juxtapositions, mind-blowing sonics and smart lyricism, the glam rock and psyche pop influences now add shimmer to the album’s fully-realized funk and R&B strut.
