Friday Fix: Of Montreal, Max Tundra, Pomegranates

It’s Friday. Here’s some new-ish tunage to get you ready for the weekend.

Of Montreal – “First Time High” (Of Chicago Acoustic Version)
(from Jon Brion Remix EP)

If you only listen to Skeletal Lamping once it sounds hopelessly jarring, like a desperate cut-and-paste job filled with illogical stops and starts that were never properly smoothed out. But the more you listen to it, the more you pick up on its subliminal rhythms that tie it all together. This acoustic version of “An Eluardian Instance” takes out all the work — stripped of all the flash and bang it’s the human voice that comes to the forefront. What we’re left with is a novel take on an old tale: two people navigating their feelings for each other, searching for honesty in spite of their self-doubt; recalling mutual memories of Swedish plum trees and mountain goats as a means of reintroduction. (And in case you’re wondering, yes, this will be our last Of Montreal post for at least another 30 days.)

Max Tundra – “Will Get Fooled Again”
(from Parallax Error Beheads You)

This album came out last year, but it’s new to me. As a result, I don’t know too much about Max Tundra other than that he appears to be some kind of digital hyper-pop auteur in a Thomas Dolby-meets-Hot Chip sort of way. Also, aside from the obvious play on words, this song in no way resembles the theme to CSI: Miami. David Caruso could never be this casually soulful and nerdy at the same time.

Pomegranates – “Corriander”
(from Corriander)

It’s only a matter of time before these guys are huge. Well, huge in the world of music bloggers who appreciate smart and passionate indie pop, at the very least. This Cincinnati band has played St. Louis so many times over the past year that when I saw them for the first time two weeks ago at the Bluebird, there was already a sizeable crowd of kids there singing along. Imagine that, a Midwestern band building an organic fan base by regularly playing other medium-sized cities in the region instead of hoping to be discovered by plotting an ill-advised tour of one of the coasts. The Pomegranates will be back at the Bluebird (now Firebird) in two months. The crowd is only going to get larger.