Of Montreal
(with Tilly and the Wall & Grand Buffet)

The Vanguard, Los Angeles
June 3, 2005

If you listen closely enough, the backpack crowd is slowly losing their ever-feeble attempt at world domination. Badly Drawn Boy’s last album was just the beginning. Elliott Smith, their beloved Dylan, died. How exactly still remains a mystery but those cute horn-rimmed girls in Los Feliz can step aside and ponder those theories. Meanwhile, the rest of us will cherish a much-delayed movement to make music Fun Again. Rumor has it that the release of the White Stripes’ Red Blood Cells started this trend. Some would say, ‘No, you heretic, it was the Strokes’ debut album – and, no, not the censored U.S. release, but the hot-ass, Spinal Tap-esque import.’ We now dance with today’s music thanks to some of these bands, but let’s not forget to say thanks to Gang of Four, who convincingly reminded us at Coachella why they’re still King.

However, the backpackers might still have hope. They immediately should get on their knees and thank Kevin Barnes from the Athens, GA-based band, Of Montreal. Now these gentle souls have their own summer soundtrack, The Sunlandic Twins, Of Montreal’s spectacular new release. These 30-somethings can now dance with their 20-something counterparts, who love their Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. Sounds great, huh? Finally these two prime demographics can sit together and put aside their differences.

The Sunlandic Twins is such an incredible jewel, that it’s almost fathomable to forgive their miserable performance at tonight’s show in Los Angeles. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason per se, but some sources thought it was the acoustics in the warehouse-shaped-meat packing venue. Others claim it had to do with two, um, interesting new bands that opened. The first act in tonight’s tragedy was Grand Buffet, dual rappers giving it up for Jesus, sandwiches and “smoking trees.” Their performance was ambitious to say the least but their lukewarm hip-hop beats left something to be desired and the banter in-between songs could have been more concise – or witty. They’re clearly driven and could possibly work out the kinks, but they hardly won over any fans tonight. Batting next was Tilly and the Wall, whose catchy songs were tolerated until people realized it took five kids to create a sound that Jack White probably makes in his sleep. Sure they had tap-dancing hotties, but it came off as more of a novelty act.

And then the walls came down.

Of Montreal took the stage with high energy and good intentions but, holy crap, were they disappointing. Live, the child-like playfulness that is found on the The Sunlandic Twins sounded as if it were beaten continuously by Nelson Muntz. What’s worse is that the band looked like they wanted to be anywhere else in the world. How can fans get behind a performance when it looks like the band doesn’t even want to be there?

They could have taken a page from Britney’s book, and saved us all the trouble and canceled due to “exhaustion.”

By Bob Rock

www.ofmontreal.net
www.myspace.com/grandbuffet
www.tillyandthewall.com