Mix warm, smutty guitar beats, ’80s electronic soundscapes and a falsetto from a fearless songsmith, and what you’ll get is Of Montreal’s newest album, False Priest. Promising to do more than excite long-time fans and attract new time indie-pop masses, Of Montreal is bringing in new effects and refreshing melodies that will shock the world into a genre-defying age of underground music.

Front man Kevin Barnes has been no stranger to breaking musical boundaries. He began carving out a spot in the underground music world 15 years ago with mid-’90s band Elephant 6 Collective. Rumors say he created Of Montreal after ending a serious relationship, the mystery woman being from Montreal, Canada. Not long after that, Of Montreal was born. The band essentially consisted of a man with an overactive imagination and his computer (excluding tours), and the rest was history. Barnes has been using multidimensional song styles to catch the eyes — and ears — of thousands of fans with each album release. Now, with the debut of the 10th album, False Priest, he continues to set the standards for music, wowing crowds along the way.

Every song on the album has its own personality, each with its own intricacies that reveal the many layers of the band. In the album’s hit track, “Coquet Coquette,” Barnes’ multilayered techniques trap listeners as a fast, dirty guitar breakdown opens the song to a saucy drum beat and Barnes’ soft, exasperated voice melts into the song, conveying so much emotion you can’t help but keep listening. Barnes also shows everyone he has been working hard to implant new twists into his funkadelic music to keep it fresh. Recruiting help from multitalented R&B singer songwriter Solange Knowles, and Grammy-nominated, Afro-punk soul performer Janelle Monae, Barnes adds a sultry feminine flavor to tracks. One example is “Girl Named Hello,” where the two women hum in unison like galactic goddess backup singers. However, in “Sex Karma,” these two women really pull out all the stops and bring together their remarkable talents to liven up the soulful chime of Barnes’ voice. Another song that shows some promise is “Our Riotous Defects,” which Barnes actually recorded with a live orchestra, mixing the raw sound of a piano and violin with the techno funk beats fans will all love. Using all these tools at his disposal, Of Montreal will blow the minds off indie-pop fans and undoubtedly make underground music history.

In the end, False Priest will continue to attract fans of all kinds with bold statements and upbeat city funk and electronica. Kevin Barnes keeps the music from getting stagnant by not only using past influences from older albums, but taking in a whole new sound. His aggressive style may not be the conventional style that people want, but in our day and age it’s a unique sound that every individual should come to appreciate. Valiantly, Of Montreal will stand as a paragon to a genre-defying type of in-your-face indie pop music

3 out 5 stars