For over a decade, the frantic and occasionally genius mind of the indie sex symbol formerly known as Kevin Barnes (now known as the African-American cross-dresser Georgie Fruit) has evolved to capture all sorts of whimsical, kitschy, avant, and occasionally disturbing pop into a style all his own. And so, as one big masturbatory celebration of the many sights and sounds (and falsetto whines) of Kevin Barnes, of Montreal will be releasing a very limited edition (just 500 copies) cassette box set through Joyful Noise Recordings, containing all of the band’s 10 full-length albums. From early lo-fi Elephant 6 releases, to the artistic and commercial breakthroughs of Satanic Panic in the Attic and Sunlandic Twins, to 2007’s heart-wrenching classic Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, to the super “sexed up and glammed out” funk of the band’s latest releases, an entire spectrum of sounds will be represented in this cohesive package.
The box set will be housed in a custom-built wooden box (by Deep Wood Workshop), and screen-printed with original artwork from David Barnes (screen-printing by In Case of Emergency Press). Each cassette will be individually wrapped, including the original album art. Purchasing the set will also give owners an instant MP3 download of the band’s entire discography (you know, for when you remember just how much cassette tapes suck and how much more convenient an iPod is over a Walkman). The box set will be available October 25 for $75 during its first week of preorder (going on right now), and then on September 19 for $100.
Kevin Barnes has also revealed a little bit of information about the band’s upcoming LP Paralytic Stalks in an interview with our “Marsha Brady” sister website. Barnes claims that the record will be “…a bit more esoteric”, and that it’s “…probably not something everybody’s going to like. The songs are way more intimate and confessional.”
• of Montreal: http://www.ofmontreal.net
• Joyful Noise: http://joyfulnoiserecordings.com
