Of Montreal, "Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?" (Polyvinyl) - 3 stars

Of Montreal has always appeared to be something that it’s not, starting with the name: no one in the band is from Montreal. And, true to form, new release “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?” sets gloomy lyrics to undeniably upbeat hooks, startling the listener to bittersweet effect. The best example is “A Sentences of Sorts in Kongsvinger.” Leadman Kevin Barnes sings, “I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway” over an irrepressible synth, making it impossible to decide whether to dance or to cry.

Most of the album consists of catchy drum machine beats and happy electronic melodies. However the album’s turning point, “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” is repetitive and almost 12 minutes long. The songs afterward are darker, but slowly return to the album’s original sweetness.

Listening to “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse,” a saccharine tune about chemical dependence, is like watching the video to old single “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games,” in which cute happy creatures meet grisly ends. It perfectly sums up the ethos of deceptively sweet Of Montreal.