The Sunlandic Twins

iTunes Review

After six albums of orchestral and retro-tinged indie pop, Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes took a turn on 2005’s The Sunlandic Twins and went straight for the latent disco diva lurking in the hearts of indie rockers everywhere (and he does it pretty much on his own here). “Requiem for O.M.M.2” promises guitar bliss ahead, but things soon move out of the classic indie realm and into a blinking, digital world. “I Was Never Young” is all about the cool, shimmying beats underlying Barnes’ near falsetto, “Wraith Pinned to the Mist…” (later heard in an Outback Steakhouse commercial!) bounces along on a simple digital rhythm track, and so on.  Just after the disco-y “The Party’s Crashing Us," however, things take a downturn and the dance party turns to late night, partied-out introspection. The remaining tracks are like a collage, comprised of disparate elements pasted together in artful pairings: “Oslo In The Summertime” is a trippy, Beatles-esque confection, but “October is Eternal” is a freak out of buzzing synths, barking piano and a chorus of voices filtered through a Francis Bacon painting.  A marvelously complex collection with many delights. (The “bonus EP” is included here.)