Of Montreal Interview: California Dreaming

Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes doesn't like to repeat himself. Following forays into electronica and experimental indie, on new record Lousy with Sylvianbriar, he channels the spirit of San Francisco, summoning a folksy ‘60s vibe.

“I went off to San Francisco to write the album. I was there about a month: sort of wandering around, soaking it all in. I escaped from my day-to-day world and was living in a romantic city. San Francisco is a really inspiring, interesting place. It feels good to go out and focus on writing.”
Barnes’ compositional style, combining intricate lyrics with surreal entendres and underlying dark themes, translates well to ‘60s folk. That is particularly the case on pseudo-protest song ‘Hegira Émigré’. Barnes cites a Bob Dylan classic as inspiration.
“That one was definitely influenced by Dylan, by a lot of the songs on Highway 61 Revisited. I like that record a lot: the structure of those kind of songs, where you have these rhyming couplets. Then the hook happens. I like the fact Dylan would have more verses than you would expect in a typical pop song.”
The ‘60s motif bleeds over to the recording process. Barnes eschewed his usual one-man approach in favour of a jam-band style, recording on an analogue tape player. With 12 albums under his belt, he's eager to try something new. It's his way of keeping it interesting.
“I guess I was bored with the way I'd been making records: sitting at my computer, doing one track at a time, building the arrangements like that. I wanted to do something more immediate, spontaneous and communal. That’s why I recorded on analogue tape. It was to get out of this pattern I was in. I'd had a good time in that style. I just felt bored with it and wanted something new.”
While Of Montreal are promoting their new album, they also have a documentary film on the way. However, Barnes says he has no direct involvement.
“It’s not my project, it’s somebody else’s. I can’t really get too deep into why it happened. I mean, it’s about Of Montreal, but not really about the music. It's more sensationalised in a way. I think it’s for people not really that into the band. Those with more of a passing interest. They might find it interesting, the drama and stuff…
"It’s not like ‘They put out this record, and it’s special because of these songs’. It’s more like ‘Then this person left the band and his feelings were hurt’."

Of Montreal play Body and Soul, which runs at Ballinlough Castle, Westmeath from June 20-22