Kevin L. Barnes is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the indie rock group of Montreal, part of the Elephant 6 Collective. Barnes started the band on their own and, although providing several stories as to the origin of the name, is said to have named it after a failed romance with a woman of Montreal, Quebec. The group has recorded fifteen full-length albums, and numerous EPs and 7" singles. Their brother, David Barnes, is an artist and has designed most of the band's artwork for albums since the release of The Gay Parade.
of Montreal
of Montreal consists of various musicians, with Barnes being the only continuous member. The group has recorded sixteen studio albums, beginning with Cherry Peel, and, most recently, UR FUN, which was released on January 17, 2020 on Polyvinyl. While melodic pop has always been Barnes' primary vehicle, their style has managed to transform significantly since the 1997 release of Cherry Peel. The acoustic tendencies of early albums gradually transformed into a more electronic, funk, and overall eclectic sound. One of the features which often appears in Barnes' songwriting is their penchant for composing upbeat melodies to gloomy lyrics and morose subject matter. At different periods in the band's career they have dealt with subjects both personal and fictional. Barnes is prolific lyricist with a tendency to employ unusual words and phrases and complicated wordplay.
Lyrics
Kevin Barnes' writing has encompassed many styles over the years. Of Montreal's first album Cherry Peel dealt mainly with personal issues of unrequited love, as in the songs "Baby" or "Montreal", or humorous mundane situations, as in "Tim I Wish You Were Born a Girl". Their style then shifted to story-telling, often involving dialogues, as in "Good Morning Mr. Edminton" from the album', or fictional characters, such as Rose Robert or Jacques Lamure, or even fictional mythological creature, like the Efeblum. The albums The Gay Parade, ' and the referred Coquelicot are constructed as concept albums. By 2004, though, Barnes was starting to revert to more personal lyrics, even incorporating the names of the people close to them and using them as characters in their own songs:
Their daughter Alabee, in "So Begins Our Alabee" and "Miss Blonde Your Papa Is Failing".
Eva, an acquaintance and resident of Athens, in "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider".
Kevin Barnes has fluctuated between writing personal and fictional lyrics over the course of their career, in part because negative reviews their first album received deterred them from writing about themself for a period of time. They explained:
"I think if you only write about yourself and your personal life it feels maybe a bit narcissistic, but I think it’s inevitable that there will always be some aspect of your personal life or your personal emotions coming through, even if you write about something that would seem like fiction."
Their lyrics, though mostly concerned with dark themes, often portray a certain fondness for:
Avant-garde cinema, mentioning Luis Buñuel's Phantom of Liberty in "Lysergic Bliss", Jaromil Jireš' Valerie and Her Week of Wonders in "St. Exquisite Confessions", or Wong Kar-wai in "Rapture Rapes The Muses";
Greek mythology –"Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse", "Rapture Rapes the Muses" with references to "antediluvian Troy", or their frequent use of antonomasia.
Despite common assumption, Barnes does not use recreational drugs or psychedelics to aid in their writing, composing, or recording.
On stage
With of Montreal, Barnes has always tried to cross the bridge between their love of theater, comedy, and music, often resulting in interludes between songs—skits, slow-motion sword fights and surreal interaction between band members. However, since the release of Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Barnes has been performing as their on-stage glam rockalter ego, Georgie Fruit, first mentioned in "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal." Kevin has said that the album shows their transformation to Georgie Fruit, as is evident in the variation in musical style from in album leading up to "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" and the two songs after. They have described Georgie Fruit as a black man in his forties who has undergone multiple sex changes. Georgie, Kevin told Pitchfork Media, was in a funk-rock band called Arousal back in the seventies. Barnes has performed in unusual circumstances such as on a white horse and while completely nude.
Other projects
A Pollinaire Rave is a comedy tour by Kevin Barnes, their brother David Barnes and ex-wife, Nina. A CD with the same name was sold, and five of the seven songs on the EP became songs on the Montreal album Satanic Panic in the Attic.
They also played keyboard on "The Difference in the Shades", and did the background vocals on "A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction" on Bright Eyes' album Letting Off the Happiness.
Personal life
In 2003, Barnes married Nina Aimee Grøttland, a graphic artist and former Ethnobabes member. They separated in December 2013. They have one daughter, Alabee, born in Oslo on December 29, 2004. Barnes identifies as non-binary and genderqueer, and uses they/them, he/him, or she/her pronouns.
