Paralytic Stalks | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 7, 2012 | |||
Recorded | Sunlandic Studios (Athens, Georgia) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 58:05 | |||
Label | Polyvinyl | |||
Producer | Kevin Barnes | |||
Of Montreal chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 62/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | B+ [3] |
Consequence of Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned In Sound | 7/10 [5] |
Paste Magazine | 7.2/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 4.6/10 [7] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tiny Mix Tapes | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Under the Radar | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paralytic Stalks is the eleventh full-length studio album by American group of Montreal. It was released on the Polyvinyl website and in stores on February 7, 2012. The band released the album in several formats, including music download, CD, cassette, vinyl, and a special-edition "Fuchsia Purple" vinyl, which was limited to 1,500 copies. Later pressings of the vinyl were offered in yellow as well as black vinyl. All physical versions of the album featured free digital downloads. To support the release of the album, of Montreal toured America in early 2012.
The recording of the album is dense, featuring dark tones and an indiscriminate eclectic nature both electronically and aesthetically. The album features a wide array of music, ranging from "pseudo-country" and, to a larger degree, neo-prog often switching and mixing music styles multiple times through the course of a song. Most of the recording was done with a Synclavier 9600 workstation. Kevin Barnes's lyricism also returns to the confessional style heard in Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? , entailing dark topics such as revenge, self-hatred, the human condition, and their painful relationship with their wife Nina. It has been called their most personal recording to date. [12]
The album was recorded in Barnes' personal studio and was mixed at Chase Park Transduction with engineer Drew Vandenberg, who has mixed albums by Toro y Moi, Futurebirds, and Kishi Bashi. Kevin is the producer, songwriter, and co-engineer for the album. The album features a crew of hired session musicians for the first time in of Montreal's history and features horn and flute player Zac Colwell as a new addition to the band's line-up. [13] While Kevin Barnes is known to take primary creative control of their recordings, K. Ishibashi of Kishi Bashi was a known collaborator on this record and was said by Barnes to have helped shape the songs. [14]
The reception from critics has been mixed, with the average critical score being a 62 out of 100, according to Metacritic. Some have praised its emotional rawness, [15] while others thought its divergence from the band's previous poppy style was alienating. [16]
All tracks are written by Kevin Barnes
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Gelid Ascent" | 4:17 |
2. | "Spiteful Intervention" | 3:40 |
3. | "Dour Percentage" | 4:39 |
4. | "We Will Commit Wolf Murder" | 5:41 |
5. | "Malefic Dowery" | 2:36 |
6. | "Ye, Renew the Plaintiff" | 8:45 |
7. | "Wintered Debts" | 7:33 |
8. | "Exorcismic Breeding Knife" | 7:41 |
9. | "Authentic Pyrrhic Remission" | 13:13 |
Of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collective. Throughout its existence, of Montreal's musical style has evolved considerably and drawn inspiration from 1960s psychedelic pop acts.
Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.
Kevin Lawrence Barnes is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the indie rock group of Montreal, part of the Elephant 6 Collective. Barnes started the band and, although providing several stories as to the origin of the name, is said to have named it after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal. The group has recorded 18 full-length albums, and numerous EPs and 7" singles. Barnes' brother, David, is an artist and has designed most of the band's artwork for albums since the release of The Gay Parade.
The Sunlandic Twins is the seventh album by indie pop band of Montreal. The album continues further into the more electronic territory first explored on 2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic. It was recorded almost entirely by Kevin Barnes, the band's singer and songwriter, in Athens, GA and Oslo, Norway throughout 2004.
The Early Four Track Recordings is a compilation album by indie rock band of Montreal. It contains early recordings from the band, with the song titles changed to ones which tell a fictional story about actor Dustin Hoffman eating his bathtub. The album was originally released January 16, 2001, by Kindercore and later reissued by Polyvinyl Record Co. on March 7, 2006.
Skeletal Lamping is the ninth studio album by Athens, Georgia-based band of Montreal.
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False Priest is the tenth full-length studio album by indie-pop group of Montreal, released on September 14, 2010 by Polyvinyl Records on CD, digital, and 180-gram vinyl in both red and black. In addition, Joyful Noise Recordings released a limited-edition cassette version of the album, making False Priest the first of Montreal album ever released on cassette.
Kaoru Ishibashi, who performs as Kishi Bashi, is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter currently based in Athens, Georgia. He was a founding member of Jupiter One and, for a few years, was a member of the band of Montreal. He embarked on his career as a solo artist in 2011, releasing his debut album 151a at Joyful Noise Recordings in 2012 to immediate fanfare and critical acclaim.
Lousy with Sylvianbriar is the twelfth studio album by indie rock band of Montreal. It was released on 8 October 2013. It was recorded at Sunlandic Studios. All songs were engineered by Drew Vandenberg except "Raindrop In My Skull" and "Colossus" done by Kevin Barnes.
Thayer Sarrano is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. Besides her solo work, she has collaborated with numerous bands as a touring member or session player, and is strongly affiliated with the music scene of Athens, Georgia. She has released five albums, all of which have received positive reviews, with her music being referred to as shoegaze, psychedelic folk and Southern Gothic.
Lost in Alphaville is the third full-length studio album by The Rentals, released on August 25, 2014, through Polyvinyl Records. The album is available on CD, vinyl, cassette and as a digital download. It marks the band's first full-length album since their 1999 release Seven More Minutes and their first-ever release through Polyvinyl, with whom they signed in December 2013.
Aureate Gloom is the thirteenth studio album by indie rock band of Montreal. It was released in the UK on March 2, 2015, and in the US on March 3. On February 18, the album was made available for instant download on the Polyvinyl Record Co. website, two weeks before its retail release date.
Lighght is the second studio album by indie pop artist Kishi Bashi. It was released on May 13, 2014. It was produced by Kishi Bashi and recorded in multiple locations, including Home Studios in Athens, Georgia and Clay Garden Studios in Norfolk, Virginia.
Innocence Reaches is the fourteenth studio album by American indie rock band of Montreal. It was released on August 12, 2016.
151a is the first studio album by indie pop artist Kishi Bashi. The album, whose title resembles the Japanese expression ichi-go ichi-e, meaning one time, one place, was released on April 10, 2012. 151a, similar to Kishi Bashi's second studio album, Lighght, was produced by Kishi Bashi and was recorded in various locations, though most recording took place at Home Studios in Norfolk, Virginia.
White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood is the fifteenth studio album by American indie rock band of Montreal, released on March 9, 2018.
Ur Fun is the sixteenth studio album by American indie rock band of Montreal, released on January 17, 2020.