Of Montreal

Created by Kevin Barnes after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal, Barnes was the only member of the "group" prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead, later of the Circulatory System, M Coast, Elf Power, etc., and Bryan Poole, who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium. Together, they recorded their first album, Cherry Peel, as well as The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.

After production on The Gay Parade began in 1998, Poole left the band to focus on his duties with Elf Power, another Elephant Six band from Athens, although he has since rejoined the band, touring with the band during the Sunlandic Twins tour and joining the band full-time after that, playing on the "Hissing Fauna..." album. Barnes recruited Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had been performing together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly, to play various instruments. Derek moved from drums to bass. They were soonafter joined by Marshmallow Coast's Andy Gonzales.

A number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower occurred before the release of the band's third album, The Gay Parade in 1999. With contributions from countless members of the Elephant Six collective at the time, it also featured artwork from Kevin's brother David Barnes, who would continue to do artwork for future albums.

Following the release of The Gay Parade, the band would sign with Kindercore Records, who would release a number of singles and compilations. It wasn't until 2001 that Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse would be released as a new album with original material. The album again featured contributions from across the Elephant Six spectrum.

In 2002, Aldhils Arboretum was released, with a slightly different sound than its predecessors, as the songs were more directly structured. A successful tour ensued, along with a tour-only EP.

Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and the state of of Montreal was also threatened. Kevin got married, and Andy and Derek left the band. Barnes being uncomfortable with the unrest, as well as some divisions within the band, took to writing and performing their 2004 album Satanic Panic in the Attic mostly by himself. Released by Polyvinyl Records, it became one of their more successful efforts to that point, the album marked a shift to an electronic base, with drum machines and synthesizers featured in singles such as "Disconnect the Dots."

This style would continue to evolve into 2005's The Sunlandic Twins, which was even more of Barnes solo effort. Recorded in Athens with the exception of one track, which was recorded in Norway, it was a much more pronounced electronic album. The album became a success, mostly due to the singles "So Begins Our Alabee" and the MTV clip for "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)."

The song "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)" can be heard on radio and television commercials with words changed for an advertisement for Outback Steakhouse. Similarly, their B-side track, "Everyday Feels Like Sunday", is currently being used in television commercials for NASDAQ and Garmin GPS systems.

The band released several collections of singles in early 2006. They recorded a new album for release in January 2007 titled Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?