Lady on the Cusp in Bloomington, MN

Following recent excursions into '80s-inspired extended dance mixes (
White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood
), radio-minded dance-rock (
Ur Fun
), and more free-flowing, collage-like fusions of art rock, psychedelic pop, orchestra rock, and more (
Freewave Lucifer f
ck
),
Of Montreal
's 19th studio LP,
Lady on the Cusp
, hews closer to the latter. Having said that, on the whole, it's a hornier, sassier, funkier edition of the project that cites R&B legends
Hot Chocolate
as an inspiration (along with
Saul Williams
and the novels of
Ursula K. Le Guin
) for the song "Soporific Cell." That track's mix of seductive falsetto and verbose, harmonized patter,
Rundgren
-esque chord progressions and piano, spacy neo-disco, and
Shaft
-like playfulness provide a memorable moment at the halfway point of the album. Before that, "Music Hurts the Head" wraps lines like "Rock & roll is dead/That's why it's cool" in an arty, meandering, psychedelic space rock, the whimsically nightmarish "2 Depressed 2 Fuck" maunders in a stew of sound effects and haze, and the surprisingly (for 2020s
) folk-rock-minded "Rude Girl on Rotation," while more straightforward and easy on the ears, still touches on uncensored sex. Likewise, the second half of the album includes diversions into loungey cabaret pop ("I Can Read Smoke") and a vague sophisti-pop ("Sea Mines That Mr. Gone") -- saxophone solo by
JoJo Glidewell
included -- beside more undefinable
Kevin Barnes
creations that combine synths, attention-demanding basslines, cartoonish effects, and spiraling musical modes. (That appearance by frequent associate
Glidewell
is only one of two guest spots here, the other being drums and percussion by
Clayton Rychlik
on "Soporific Cell.") The album was created during a time of transition for
Barnes
and partner
Christina Schneider
(
Locate S,1
), who, after decades in Athens, Georgia, left for the wintry climates of Vermont. ~ Marcy Donelson