With 11 studio albums under their belt, one would think that of Montreal would be easy to nail down at this point.  Surely after years and years of work a band must some day approach their ‘true sound’.  However, Paralytic Stalks proves that the Athens, GA band is still full of surprises, and still mining new areas of psychedelic pop gold.  The album was recorded in front man Kevin Barnes’ home studio in Athens, and according to him is his most personal record to date.  That coming from Barnes, a larger than life figure in indie circles, should guarantee equal flashes of genius and weird.

Sonically speaking Paralytic Stalks shares lineage with the bands 2007 LP, the highly praised Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?  Their previous two releases leading up to Paralytic Stalks, 2008’s Skeletal Lamping and 2010’s False Priest were somewhat of a departure, so this should resonate well with purists. 

Like he did on Hissing Fauna, Barnes returns to singing about depression, self-loathing and problems on the home front with his wife.  The album starts off on "Gelid Ascent" with Barnes lamenting, ‘You are what parasites evolved from, still an unanswered question, you are the refused energy from a superior form’.  It’s not the most up beat material, but of Montreal has proven throughout their whole existence that the weight of their lyrics can be completely lifted by the joyous, rambunctious energy that is emitted from their music.  Paralytic Stalks is no exception. 

It starts off with the more straightforward fare up front.  "Spiteful Intervention" is a rollicking pop song that chugs along with the 4x4 pace of a dance track while "Dour Percentage" is a faithful reinterpretation of ELO, the symphonic elements contributing an air of theatricality to the confessional taking place during the song.  Further into the record Barnes & Co. really let their freak flag fly.  The 7-minute plus runtimes of "Ye, Renew the Plaintiff", "Wintered Debts" and "Exorcism Breeding Knife" all allow for of Montreal’s warped pop sensibilities to be stretched and psyched out to the max.  Closer "Authentic Pyrrhic Remission" is a 13-minute journey through the sounds of hip hop, R&B, psychedelia, pop, ambient, noise and a whole host of others, and it seems at times the song will split into multiple different things at once.

Of Montreal are a satisfying band if only because they seem so fearless in the face of new territory.  One would be hard pressed to convince me that if Kevin Barnes chose to make an album of gangster rap that it wouldn’t be a hit.  With a penchant for the eclectic and nose for inventiveness Paralytic Stalks will puzzle the listener at some points, but at others it will dish out the pleasure wholesale.

Grade: B+