Aldhils Arboretum

Artist: Of Montreal
Label: Kindercore Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 675818007628
EAN: 0675818007628
ASIN: B00006IJ2Y

Release Date: 2002-09-24

Aldhils Arboretum

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Doing Nothing
Old People in the Cemetery
Isn't It Nice?
Jennifer Louise
The Blank Husband Epidemic
Pancakes for One
We Are Destroying the Song
An Ode to the Noctural Muse
Predictably Sulking Sara
Natalie and Effie in the Park
A Question for Emily Foreman
Kissing in the Grass
Kid Without Claws
Death Dance of Omipapas and Songs for You

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Amazon.com

Of Montreal return to their very beginnings on their oddly named fifth album, Aldhils Arboretum, abandoning all pretensions of constructing another Byzantine concept album as they did on their past three outings. As a result the quintet have made a stronger, more appealing record by simplifying their aesthetic--sounding much like they did on their 1997 debut, Cherry Peel--and creating 14 discrete, unrelated tableaus about some of the idiosyncratic characters from their native Athens, Georgia. Borrowing freely from the band's own autobiography, spiritual leader and main songwriter Kevin Barnes constructs a skewed pastoral scene in "Isn't It Nice" (about an actual exodus the band made to Clarke Country, Georgia, where four of the five members set up housekeeping in a community peopled with crotchety old women, inebriated neighbors, and suicidal deer), proving he can conjure rural characters just as compelling as the urban warriors Lou Reed described in "Walk on the Wild Side." Barnes blithely pens a story of a woman's love for her dog on "Natalie and Effie in the Park," only to turn around and write a paean to sleep, "An Ode to the Nocturnal Muse," in which he professes love for his bed, his pillow, and the dream state. However, snuggled underneath those cozy covers is a darker reality that slithers into your consciousness on the dark wings of an anxious organ fill, letting you know that the song--and the entire album, for that matter--is more Southern gothic than Southern comfort. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews:

a underated album which is actually very good.......2006-03-15

Ofcourse the albums that everyone knows Of Montreal for are, Satanic panic, the long concept album which i cant remember the name of, Sunlandic Twins. Those are the "hot" albums. But no one really listens to Aldhils ARboretum, even though it has plenty of good songs. The whole 14 song album is amazing. Even though there are complaints that it is to toned down, and not as crazy as there other albums, but it is good for a fan because it shows another side of Of Montreal. Showing that this badn is not only good in cheery indie pop. But can also be sad like in the song old people in the cemetery it is in a happy of montreal tone but yet the lyrics are so depressing. I love it. I listen to this album as much as i listen satanic panic. Highly recomended. The only reason why i am giving it a 4 is because it is toned down and there is no exciting songs that make you want to dance. This album would deserve a 5 if it had two or three exciting songs placed in random parts of the album to make it differ. But even though it is not very dancable it is still very fun.

this is an awesome album.......2006-02-16

If you like good music then buy this album. It is definatley one of my favorites. In my opinion this album is right up there with dark side of the moon. If you're into psychodelic music then this album is for you. Headphones really bring out all the subtile instrumentals in the backgroud. First listen to it through speakers a few times and then try it with headphones. It's like a whole new side of the album. I love adhils arboretum.

Growing "Arboretum".......2005-01-26

Elephant 6 band Of Montreal is at its best when they make goofy, quirky concept albums, or at the very least weird songs that make you wish you had whatever they're smoking. That endearing surreality is missing from "Adhils Arboretum," which is a fun indiepop album, but feels somehow too toned down and laid-back.

It opens with the disjointedly bouncy "Doing Nothing," which fits the lead vocals like a four-fingered glove. Things improve somewhat with the clinky pop of "Old People in the Cemetary," which one-ups the "What a drag it is/getting old" with lines like "It must be hard to relate/after the world of your youth/totally evaporates."

There's a more garage-rocky vibe to songs like "Isn't It Nice?" and the ringingly percussive "We Are Destroying the Song." But hints of their older style peep out in the second half of the album, like in the lilting "Predictably Sulking Sarah," perky piano-pop "Natalie and Effie in the Park," and the psychedelic swirls of "Kid Without Claws."

It's hard to know why, after the glorious psychedelic tapesties they've woven, Of Montreal would opt for a sound that is so... ordinary. It sounds a bit like garage rockers on acid, which is a cool idea in itself -- but Kevin Barnes and Co. sound pretty uncomfortable with such a stripped-down sound.

Their colorful pop has been toned down to some slightly muffled guitar melodies and solid percussion, augmented by cello and some electronic flourishes. But in the second half, the band starts slipping back -- they use a drooping violin, sprightly piano, robotic vocals, odd wavery keyboard, and a sort of French folk-club sound, complete with brass. That's more like it, people.

Kevin Barnes sounds good in songs like "Pancakes For One," where his voice flows naturally with the melody. In the rockier numbers, he sounds uncomfortable having to mold himself around the angular music. Their songwriting is is also less colorful, but they miraculously retain that childlike weirdness. It has meditations on aging and death, an incontinent Yorkie who brightens a little girl's life, what foods shouldn't be eaten alone, and climaxes with "I want to dance so I don't have to think anymore/about the steam cleaned caterpillar in the pinafore."

The stripped-down songs are a step backwards for Of Montreal, but "Adhils Arboretum" brings back their colorful vibe in the second half. Flawed, flighty fun.

Happy E6 Pop.......2003-07-01

Kevin and David Barnes, the musician and the artist, respectively, have put together many fun, artsy, pop albums. Aldhils Arboretum is more of the same. As most people know, Of Montreal's vocals can become grating if taken in large doses, but as most of their albums are brief, I think listening to any of their cds individually will provide delight rather than agony. Some songs on here are really well-written and radio-friendly, too bad bands like this never get their cut of the pie. Jennifer Louise is an amazing tune, and Old People In The Cemetary and Pancakes For One are also very good. Fans of happy, guitar-driven pop will probably enjoy this. Give it a shot.

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