We are pleased to welcome the return of DJ Evil Vince to Muzzle of Bees. He will once again be providing compilations that unearth the music of the far off corners of the world. Which brings us to the current compilation: Aotearoa Kauri. This is defined as: Land of The Long White Cloud [New Zealand] Kauri [Tree].

Agathis australis or Kauri’s are trees that are found on the North Island of Aotearoa. They are some of the largest and most ancient trees in the world.

Download/Stream:

01 Trinity Roots – “Egos”
02 Fat Freddy’s Drop – “This Room”
03 Breaks Co-Op – “Beats Interlude”
04 Che Fu – “Waka”
05 House of Shem – “What About the Children”
06 The Black Seeds – “You Wait”
07 Cornerstone Roots – “Reveal Yourself”
08 Herbs – “Jah’s Son”
09 Unity Pacific – “Though We Are”
10 The Illphonics – “One Of Those Days”
11 Hollie Smith (Feat. The Mt. Raskil Preservation Society) – “Bathe In The River”
12 Tigilau Ness – “From Street To Sky”
13 Te Hononga – “Nga Puawai O Ngapuhi”
14 Kare Rapata Leathem – “Hoea Ra Te Waka Nei”
15 All Blacks – “Ka Mate Haka”
16 Kora – “Burning”

By Alex Schaaf

It’s not easy being an of Montreal fan. For the beginner, there are several hurdles to clear before you can claim yourself a devoted follower. First, you’ve got to get over the vast range of material that Kevin Barnes has produced over the last decade; from cutesy pop (The Gay Parade) to electro rock suites (Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?) to sensual funk (False Priest), the band has recorded in vastly different styles over the years. It takes a little bit of work to be able to recognize Barnes in each of these eras.

Secondly, there’s the matter of reconciling lyrics that can be as nakedly bare as “I’m in a crisis/I need help/Come on mood shift, shift back to good again” with lyrics that are, well, just naked: “I want to make you come/200 times a day.” On Hissing Fauna, Barnes’ lyrics were a stark portrayal of a depression that came after his relationship broke down. On the new False Priest, they tend towards the gleefully sexual, as inhibitions break down and the phrase “female erection” is tossed around like nothing.

Another hurdle for the rookie of Montreal fan to overcome is the live show, and this is the hardest one to come by for many. On the records, Barnes is all by himself, crafting collections of songs that are intimate, highly personal and (usually) brilliant demonstrations of his incredible imagination. On stage, however, Barnes opts for the all-out bizarre extravaganza that the of Montreal live show has become. As leader, Barnes rides horses, he strips down to (literally) nothing, he is carried in by assistants in elaborate costume, he gleefully prances around stage, unencumbered by any of the instruments he so masterfully plays on the records, handing those off to his capable band mates instead.

While some (myself included) tend to enjoy the live show as a separate entity from the record, and appreciate how Barnes is creating an “event” that takes people out of their normal lives, detractors (myself included, sometimes) complain that the costumes and the skits and the face paint take away from the music. I’ve had several people tell me that they saw of Montreal live and were turned off by the “performance art” that was taking place; they just wanted to see the band play the great songs that they had heard on the record.

I tend to fall in the middle of these two camps. I first fell in love with of Montreal after listening to Hissing Fauna over and over a few years ago. As Barnes’ most personal, intimate record, I was blown away by how he could sing such simple lines as “There’s the girl that left me bitter/Want to pay some other girl/To just walk up to her and hit her/But I can’t, I can’t, I can’t” and it would work so well. I wished I had the skill to be able to express myself in such an effective way. Thus, when I went to the first live show, I wanted Barnes and the band to take these songs seriously. The songs were important to me, and I wanted them to be important to the band. Instead, it seemed like they were making light of the songs, as everything was turned into one joyous romp; the crowd of teenagers dancing along to every song in the same way, Barnes jumping around with his wireless mic, goading on the crowd to dance more. This is where I find myself on the side of the “lose the costumes, play the songs” camp.

But in other instances, I’m on the other side. That is what happened Saturday night at Terminal 5 in Manhattan (oh yeah, there’s a live review in here somewhere!). Coming off the release of False Priest, Barnes organized a tour with opener Janelle Monáe, a fiery vocalist that is featured on two of the False Priest songs. It turned out to be the perfect combination of bands, and a joyous romp of a night that left most satisfied.

For many of these reviews, I’ve been comparing the NYC venue in question to a similar spot in Wisconsin, since that is where I just moved from and where many of the readers are. But for Terminal 5, there really isn’t anything to compare it to. And that’s probably a good thing for Wisconsin. Terminal 5 is a big industrial building with a stage at the end of it, like if you took Turner Hall Ballroom and stripped it of all its beauty, widened the room a bit, and added a second balcony towards the ceiling. Really, it’s not a terrible room, and it’s a good spot to have a relatively big (in fame) band and still be able to be close. The sound was not great though; as the low end kind of dissolved into one big wash that shook the room. But overall it was a decent place to see a band.

Janelle Monáe, the opening act, started promptly at 8:00 p.m. with a man in a tuxedo coming out and introducing her. From then on, she got into “character” as Janelle Monáe, a human sent here from the future to sing to us. And sing to us she did. Monáe’s specialty is in quick dance songs, evoking James Brown as she dances across the stage to a raucous musical backdrop, belting out passages that would make Beyonce blush. Monáe proved to be the perfect opener for of Montreal, as she also had skits, where people would come out in costume and accost Monáe as she sang, turning the performance into more of a performance art piece than a concert. Monáe was constantly in “character,” never breaking to speak to the audience in between songs. I usually find this annoying, but Monáe pulls it off with such sincerity and wide-eyed innocence that it ends up being charming and impressive. Closing the set with her biggest hits, “Cold War” and “Tightrope,” the crowd was eating it up, as the room became one big dance floor.

Of Montreal was up next, and they continued the theme of “performance art” that Monae started, but with a bit more of a wink and a grin. Barnes came out in a mini skirt, wearing leg tights beneath, and broke into a grin as soon as the crowd applauded his entrance. Throughout the set, Barnes was involved in many of the skits, several of which involved simulated acts of sexual intercourse, but at many times over the course of the night, the audience was given a glimpse of the “other” Kevin Barnes, the one that is married with kids and that watches SportsCenter. In this respect he differed from Monae, who refused to break from character.

Musically, the band was really at the top of their game. The last time I saw them, they had a drum sequencer that they used for about half of the songs. This time, the sequencer was gone and everything was live. This meant they increased the size of the band a bit, with eight members on stage this time. But it paid off, as the drums were bigger, the guitars were louder, and the grooves were tighter. They opened with “Coquet Coquette,” the strongest track off of False Priest, and proceeded to play through most of the new album, along with a few select past hits. The new songs sound great live; even the ones that I don’t particularly care for on the record (“Girl Named Hello,” “Godly Intersex”) were given a bit more life, as “Girl Named Hello” stretched out to a lengthy jam that gave The Late B.P. Helium a chance to showcase his guitar skills.

A couple of surprises were scattered throughout the set; at one point, Kevin left the stage and went somewhere behind stage to play a song alone on the piano. A live camera feed projected him back onto the stage, looking out onto the crowd. The song he played? I had no idea at first, but post-show research revealed it to be a cover of Sibylle Baier’s “Tonight,” a gorgeous song with a beautiful rendition by Barnes. The other surprise came during the encore, when Janelle Monae and all of her bandmates came back onstage for a massive Michael Jackson medley, as of Montreal played through Jackson’s hits while a dance-off took place on stage.

Overall, the night was a showcase of two artists that have created their own worlds, and are intent on only existing in those worlds. While legions of bands around the country are trying to latch onto the newest trend in order to get music blogs to take notice, bands like of Montreal are in their own worlds, doing what feels right to them, whether or not the outside world takes notice. And this is commendable. While a part of me still just wanted them to focus on the songs rather than the costumes, the bigger part of me knew that I’d prefer Barnes to be 100 percent in his own world than to try and compromise to fit the desires of everyone. To compromise is to dilute the message, and that message was at full force Saturday night.

MP3: Of Montreal – “Sex Karma”
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Buy: Of Montreal – False Priest

I spent last weekend in Raleigh, NC, immersing myself in the plethora of music discovery offered at the Hopscotch Music Festival. Going into the festival, I promised myself to say “yes” to any request that pulled me away from what I wanted to see in order to tag along and follow the interest and tips of my friends. This proved to be a great idea resulting in seeing, and ultimately enjoying, bands like Active Child and Harlem.

One band that came up constantly throughout the weekend was Future Islands. I didn’t see them as I arrived in town the day after they played. However, the buzz of their festival appearance followed me all the way back to Wisconsin where I promptly picked up their Thrill Jockey release, In Evening Air. It’s been on non-stop. No joke. Go ahead and check out the video above and download the tracks below. I’m sure you’ll be as impressed as I am.

MP3: Future Islands – “Tin Man”
MP3: Future Islands – “In The Fall”
MP3: Future Islands – “Walking Through That Door”
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Buy: Future Islands – In Evening Air

On Tuesday, September 28, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison will host Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers for a special acoustic performance in its galleries. Hood has long been a supporter of American soldiers and veterans, having written such songs as “The Sands of Iwo Jima” and “The Home Front,” which was inspired by the 2005 passing of Madison native Sgt. Mark Maida. Sgt. Maida’s personal effects can be seen in “Faces in the Sand,” an exhibit honoring Wisconsin’s men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The concert will start promptly at 3:30 (do not be late – you will miss the show) and is FREE. Space is limited, so arrive early (no advance reservations).

Drive-By Truckers will be performing in the evening on September 28 at the Majestic Theater in Madison. The show starts at 8:30pm with support from Henry Clay People. Purchase your tickets here. The band will also be in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theater on Friday, October 1 for a very special Farm Aid Eve performance.

Buy: Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite part of last night’s Mark Olson show at Club Garibaldi, but I’ll try. Somehow the song “Over My Shoulder” had completely escaped me in all my years listening to the Jayhawks. Sure enough though it’s there, track number six on Tomorrow the Green Grass. It’s more likely that time passed since spending quality time with the band’s catalog left my memory a little shaky. Regardless, the song hit me like a gut-punch last night.

The show reminded me the power of Mark Olson and how much I adore his songwriting. I got back to my house well after the midnight, burning the midnight oil trolling through countless Jayhawks jams on YouTube. I kept coming back to, and replaying “Over My Shoulder,” of which the best version available comes in the form of a 1995 performance from Germany embedded above. Talk about a timeless song. I’m ashamed I forgot about it. This weekend I plan on dusting off their catalog, so there may be more posts on the band in the near future. Until then, please just take a listen.

MP3: The Jayhawks – “Over My Shoulder”
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Buy: The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass

Seeing Sleeter-Kinney were some of my favorite concert memories. When they disbanded in 2006, I was more than a little upset. The good thing is that through their hiatus is that it provides the individual band members a chance to follow and pursue their own creativity. We’re super fond of Carrie Brownstein’s contributions to NPR Music. Next month, on October 5th, The Corin Tucker Band debuts their first album, 1,000 Years, which arrives on Kill Rock Stars.

This album offers fans of Sleeter-Kinney the chance to hear the singer and guitarist in a new setting, and if the song “Doubt” (download below) is any indication, 1,000 Years will be very well received.

MP3: The Corin Tucker Band – “Doubt”
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Pre-Order: The Corin Tucker Band – 1,000 Years