of Montreal - 'Lousy with Sylvianbriar'

By Rhett Henry

of MontrealLousy with SylvianbriarPolyvinyl

The new album by the Athens, Ga. band poses a curious question: can you make a 60s-style rock album that actually sounds new?Sylvianbriar is a gushing love letter to the Summer of Love, eschewing stereotypical notions of late 60s music as freaked-out psychedelic and instead focusing on the heavier garage rock and country-tinged folkthat constituted the sunny San Francisco sound.The album's heavier and livelier cuts ("She Ain't Speakin' Now," "Hegira Emigré") are consistently delightful, while its folksier tracks are decent but unimpressive, with the one exception being "Raindrop in My Skull," sung wonderfully by new collaborator Rebecca Cash.After spending the last five years cultivating a sound that mixes funk, glam and prog rock, Lousy With Sylvianbriar feels like a real change, but it suffers the fate of so many "transition albums:" it's not quite enough of anything.But of Montreal maintains their creativity and shows that if you can't quite sound new, you can at least stay interesting.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrBIEPFGsII