INTERVIEWSHear Of Montreal's Dark But Poppy 'Dour Percentage'

Kevin Barnes recently told Q Magazine that Of Montreal's upcoming Paralytic Stalks (due February 7) is "darker and more personal," but you might not know it from a cursory listen to its latest track to hit the web. Like previously unveiled seven-minute mind-fuck "Wintered Debts," "Dour Percentage" (via Pitchfork) is all over the place, only this sub-five-minute ditty is, on the surface at least, pretty cheery — it bops along from fairytale woodwinds to '70s sunshine-pop theatricality. Look a little bit closer, though, and it's easy to trace the tracks of the narrator's tears, from the song's memorable use of the phrase "fuck-all" to the eloquently phrased reflections on how the characters "torment" and "torture" each other. It's as if Barnes is adopting such a mannered, heavily stylized affect as a way of masking the darker, more personal demons lurking underneath. So when Of Montreal hit the road in several weeks, does this mean they'll have to pack less glitter ... or more?