of Montreal - Innocence Reaches
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
When a band reaches the point of having 14 albums out you need to have a look back in your collection to see how many you've previously obtained. Unless of course you're a total fan & already know you've no gaps in your collection. Nowadays of course it's not quite so easy to remember which of them you actually bought, particularly if you've offloaded all of your CDs in favour of just having digital versions saved somewhere. The upshot here is I've five of the band's previous 13 releases, none of which I've played in many years. So much for setting the scene.
Innocence Reaches starts off as a great departure from the sound I was expecting, the sometimes spiky (other times barely listenable), avant garde indie rock having made way for disco. The possibility of a great summer record being contained herein seems very likely. ‘Let’s Relate’ and ‘It’s Different For Girls’ (not the Joe Jackson song) will go down well at any event you’re planning while the nights are still light.
After that though things turn towards more familiar territory, albeit with the disco patina leaching through into the body of most of the album’s other 10 tracks. Innocence Reaches features no songs that will sit long in your brain and despite the initial impression of Montreal have not morphed into a new Scissor Sisters (whatever happened to them?). They firmly retain their indie status and the rest of us can continue about our business after they’ve passed on to do whatever they produce next.
Going about your business is, unfortunately, easy to do whilst the album’s on, as it turns out. Zoning out as it noodles away in the background is a greater possibility the longer it goes on. ‘A Sport And A Pastime’, for example, will likely have you reaching for the ffwd unless you’re looking for some help in sleeping.
Overall then probably as much of a mixed bag as expected, after the initial flourish and an album that’ll languish unplayed after the end of the year if not before.
