Of Montreal Experiment With Fragmented Songwriting on 'False Priest'

After recently checking out Of Montreal's new stage extravaganza, we were impressed by the fact that Kevin Barnes just goes for it. Whether it's people dressed up as pigs or recreating Michael Jackson, the Of Montreal frontman isn't too concerned about popular opinion. That got us thinking about Barnes' solo performance back at SXSW 2008 when he covered the Grateful Dead's disco-classic 'Shakedown Street' and how the band has influenced him.

"I'm not the hugest Deadhead. I only really know 'Workingman's Dead' and 'American Beauty,' but I have a lot of respect for them," Barnes tells Spinner. "Anyone that's done any sort of touring has to give it up. They were basically living on the road for so many years. They're very much like a jazz band -- they'd experiment with different arrangements for other songs, night to night. A lot of times, I can get so married to an album arrangement and feel nervous about experimenting with the tempo changes or the key changes or adding new parts."

While the Dead were famous for their noodling jams and country-rock anthems, Of Montreal have been more concerned with a Parliament and Sly Stone brand funk. But that doesn't mean Barnes didn't take to experimenting with his own arrangements in the studio on their Jon Brion-produced album, 'False Priest.' Take, for example, 'You Do Mutilate?', the album's last song and arguably one of the best. "[That song] is just me experimenting in the studio, outside of normally what I do, like adding extra measures at the end, to keep it off balance," Barnes explains. "It's definitely the most upfront message I've put in front of any song I've written, about putting humanity above God."

"It's easier for me to write in that fragmented style. Whatever the inspiration is, you just follow it," he adds. "And when that's gone, you wait for something else to happen. I think that's just the way my brain is for me. It's hard for me to keep a thought for a long time."

The funk-filled, fragmented 'False Priest' is out now on Polyvinyl. Watch the band perform 'Shakedown Street' below.