Sugary-sweet psychedelic pop from the retro-leaning indie veterans.
Certain releases impress after just a few seconds – even before you have heard a single verse in full – solely because of a certain sound aesthetic. For many – including the author of this review – this applies to many records that draw on the flowery and ultra-melodic psychedelic pop of the 1960s. AETHERMEAD, the new album by US indie veterans Of Montreal, is also extremely good on the surface: distorted, never too bulky fuzz guitars, unusual yet catchy harmonies à la Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney, and a dreamy, very stoned childishness.
You can easily listen to AETHERMEAD in isolation from the rest of Of Montreal’s work, which is now hard to keep track of, and instead be reminded of numerous flower power icons of the sixties – such as The Zombies or Syd Barrett. Comparisons with current retro acts also come to mind, for example The Lemon Twigs or Ariel Pink.
Sure, the lyrics remain meaningless, but somehow that’s part of it. Either way: Kevin Barnes, the nostalgic front person of Of Montreal, is once again doing what works on AETHERMEAD – and has been doing so for 30 years now, which is quite impressive.