Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Infobox Album
Name = Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Type = studio
Artist = of Montreal


Released = January 23 2007
Recorded = 2006
Genre = Indie pop
Indie rock
Length = 51:22 (CD)
68:32 (LP)
Label = Polyvinyl
Producer = Kevin Barnes
Reviews =
*Absolutepunk.net (90%) [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=215883 link]
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfyxqyrldje link]
*"Aversion" Rating|4|5 [http://www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2929 link]
*"BBC Collective" Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A19880247 link]
*Drowned in Sound (8/10) [http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/8871 link]
*MetaCritic (80/100) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/ofmontreal/hissingfaunaareyouthedestroyer link]
*NME (7/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/of-montreal/8153 link]
*No Ripcord (8/10) [http://www.noripcord.com/?q=node/538 link]
*Pitchfork (8.7/10) [http://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/40551/Of_Montreal_Hissing_Fauna_Are_You_the_Destroyer link]
*PlayLouder Rating|4|5 [http://www.playlouder.com/review/+hissing-fauna-ar/ link]
*PopMatters (9/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/10680/of-montreal-hissing-fauna-are-you-the-destroyer/ link]
*"Q" Rating|4.5|5 Mar 2007, p.115
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ofmontreal/albums/album/13145088/review/13232128/hissing_fauna_are_you_the_destroyer link]
*"Stylus Magazine" (B+) [http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/of-montreal/hissing-fauna-are-you-the-destroyer.htm link]
*Twisted Ear Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.twistedear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1400&Itemid=31 link]
*"Urb" Rating|4|5 Jan/Feb 2006, p.81
Last album = "Satanic Twins"
(2006)
This album = "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"
(2007)
Next album = "Icons, Abstract Thee"
(2007)

"Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" is the eighth album from indie pop band of Montreal. It was released January 23, 2007. The album was written, performed, and recorded by Kevin Barnes, with assistance from friends and family: prominent Elephant Six members Bryan Poole, Jamey Huggins and Heather McIntosh, as well as Barnes' wife Nina Twin, and daughter Alabee Blonde. Credits also feature Georgie Fruit, a glam rock alter-ego of Barnes.

Background

Barnes has described the album as a concept album, detailing his transformation from Kevin Barnes into Georgie Fruit. The transformation takes place during "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal," the 12-minute long "turning point" of the album. In addition, the album namechecks many things commonly associated with glam rock, such as drugs, art and fashion; "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" alludes to Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and specifically mentions Georges Bataille's novel "Histoire de l'oeil".

Barnes credits his being prescribed antidepressants with the making of the album. "The real issue was a chemical thing, so when I finally got on medication, that balanced it out. So that helped me have a better perspective on things and helped my relationship with my wife and helped me through [the album] ." [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/41637/Please_Mr_Pharmacist Please Mr. Pharmacist | Pitchfork ] ] "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse", the album's first single, chronicles his struggle with chemical imbalance and mood disorders.

Track listing

# "Suffer for Fashion" – 2:58
# "Sink the Seine" – 1:04
# "Cato as a Pun" – 3:02
# "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" – 3:18
# "Gronlandic Edit" – 3:24
# "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger" – 4:54
# "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" – 11:52
# "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider" – 3:51
# "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" – 4:31
# "Labyrinthian Pomp" – 3:21
# "She's a Rejecter" – 4:02
# "We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling" – 4:57

Bonus tracks on Australian edition

#

"She Fell in Love" – 2:21
#*An alternate title for "Du Og Meg", based on the first line of the song.
#"Voltaic Crusher" – 2:04

Bonus tracks on double vinyl release

The double vinyl release of the album contains the twelve tracks on the first three sides. The fourth side contains four bonus tracks, which can also be found on the EP "Icons, Abstract Thee".
#

"Du Og Meg" – 2:21
# "Voltaic Crusher/Undrum to Muted Da" – 2:04
# "Derailments in a Place of Our Own" – 3:03
# "No Conclusion" – 9:42

Charts

Album

References

External links

* [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/38378/Exclusive_Of_Montreal_Announce_New_Album_Tracklis/ Pitchfork Media article]
* [http://www.lyricwiki.org/Of_Montreal:Hissing_Fauna%2C_Are_You_The_Destroyer%3F_%282007%29 Hissing Fauna lyrics at Lyricwiki]