Kevin Lawrence Barnes (born May 30, 1974) is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

group of Montreal, part of the

Elephant 6 Collective The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include the Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, the Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...

. Barnes started the band and, although providing several stories as to the origin of the name, is said to have named it after a failed romance with a woman from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. The group has recorded 18 full-length albums, and numerous EPs and 7" singles. Barnes' brother, David, is an artist and has designed most of the band's artwork for albums since the release of ''

The Gay Parade ''The Gay Parade'' is a 1999 concept album by the band of Montreal and was their third full-length release. Allmusic's reviewer Jason Ankeny designated the album "indie pop's very own ''Sgt. Pepper ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Ban ...

''.

of Montreal

of Montreal consists of various musicians, with Barnes being the only continuous member. The group has recorded 16 studio albums, beginning with '' Cherry Peel'' (1997), and, most recently, ''Freewave Lucifer fck'', which was released on July 29, 2022 on

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. While melodic pop has always been Barnes's primary vehicle, the band's style has transformed significantly since its debut. The acoustic tendencies of early albums gradually transformed into a more

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, and overall eclectic sound. One of the features which often appears in Barnes's songwriting is upbeat melodies with gloomy, cryptic lyrics and morose subject matter. At different periods in the band's career, Barnes has dealt with subjects both personal and fictional, tending to employ unusual words, phrases, and sophisticated wordplay.

Lyrical style

Barnes's writing has encompassed many styles over the years. Of Montreal's first album, ''Cherry Peel'', dealt mainly with personal issues of

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, as in the songs "Baby" or "Montreal"; or humorous mundane situations, as in "Tim I Wish You Were Born a Girl". Barnes's style then shifted to storytelling, often involving dialogues as in "Good Morning Mr. Edminton" (from the album '' Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse''), or fictional characters, such as Rose Robert or Jacques Lamure, and even a fictional mythological creature, the Efeblum. The albums ''

'', '' The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy'', and the aforementioned ''Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies'' are constructed as

concept albums A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

. By 2004, Barnes was starting to revert to more personal lyrics, even incorporating the names of familiars and using them as characters, including Barnes's daughter Alabee, in " So Begins Our Alabee" and " Miss Blonde Your Papa Is Failing", and Eva, an acquaintance and resident of

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, in "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider". Barnes has fluctuated between writing personal and fictional lyrics, explaining:

I think if you only write about yourself and your personal life it feels maybe a bit narcissistic, but I think it's inevitable that there will always be some aspect of your personal life or your personal emotions coming through, even if you write about something that would seem like fiction.

Barnes's lyrics, though mostly concerned with dark themes, often portray a certain fondness for: *French literature, especially the works of

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

Georges Bataille Georges Albert Maurice Victor Bataille (; ; 10 September 1897 – 9 July 1962) was a French philosopher and intellectual working in philosophy, literature, sociology, anthropology, and history of art. His writing, which included essays, novels, ...

*Avant-garde cinema, mentioning

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's '' Phantom of Liberty'' in "Lysergic Bliss",

Jaromil Jireš Jaromil Jireš (10 December 1935 – 24 October 2001) was a director associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. His 1963 film '' The Cry'' was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. It is often described as the first film of the Cze ...

' '' Valerie and Her Week of Wonders'' in "St. Exquisite Confessions", or

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

in "Rapture Rapes the Muses" *

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

– "

Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" was the first single released by Polyvinyl Records from Of Montreal's 2007 album '' Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?''. Like the rest of the album, the song was written, performed and recorded by Kevin B ...

", "Rapture Rapes the Muses" (with references to "antediluvian Troy"), and frequent use of

antonomasia In rhetoric, antonomasia is a kind of metonymy in which an epithet or phrase takes the place of a proper name, such as "the little corporal" for Napoleon I; or, conversely, the use of a proper name as an archetypal name, to express a generic idea. ...

(

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...

and

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in "So Begins Our Alabee", "Cato as a Pun") Despite some lyrical references to drugs, Barnes does not use

recreational drugs Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

psychedelics Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

primarily for the purpose of aiding writing, composing, or recording.

On stage

Kevin Barnes - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Lodge

With of Montreal, Barnes has always tried to cross the bridge between a love of theater, comedy, and music, often resulting in interludes between songs—

skits Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

, slow-motion sword fights and surreal interaction between band members. Barnes performs as many different alter egos or personas, once including a

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

alter ego, Georgie Fruit, first mentioned in "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal." In 2007, Barnes described Georgie Fruit as a black man in his forties who has undergone multiple sex changes. In 2019, Barnes announced that the persona had been retired, tweeting that "it was an insensitive portrayal of a marginalized group of people that I had no usinessrepresenting." Barnes has performed in unusual circumstances, such as while astride a white horse, and while completely nude.

Other projects

*'' A Pollinaire Rave'' is a comedy tour by Kevin Barnes, David Barnes, and Kevin Barnes's ex-wife, Nina. A CD with the same name was sold, and five of the seven songs on the EP became songs on the of Montreal album ''

Satanic Panic in the Attic ''Satanic Panic in the Attic'' is the sixth album released by the band Of Montreal. The album, like later albums ''The Sunlandic Twins'' and '' Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?'', was made almost entirely by Kevin Barnes. The cover artwork ...

''. *Barnes contributed to Bright Eyes' album ''

Letting Off the Happiness ''Letting Off the Happiness'' is the second studio album released by the indie rock band Bright Eyes. The album was released on November 2, 1998. It was the first release by Bright Eyes to feature and be produced by Mike Mogis, now a permanent ...

'', playing keyboard on "The Difference in the Shades" and performing the background vocals on "A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction".

Personal life

In 2003, Barnes married Nina Aimee Grøttland, a graphic artist and former Ethnobabes member. They separated in December 2013. They have one daughter, Alabee, born in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

on December 29, 2004. As of 2020, Barnes's partner is Christina Schneider, the singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the pop group Locate S,1. In 2020, Barnes "officially" came out as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

, and genderqueer. Barnes' Twitter account lists she/her, he/him, and

they/them pronouns Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Kevin 1974 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American alternative rock musicians American rock guitarists American male singer-songwriters People from Cuyahoga County, Ohio Of Montreal members Alternative rock guitarists Singer-songwriters from Ohio Guitarists from Ohio Musicians from Athens, Georgia Polyvinyl Record Co. artists Bar/None Records artists 21st-century American singers Major Organ and the Adding Machine members Bisexual singers Non-binary singers Bisexual songwriters Non-binary songwriters People with non-binary gender identities American LGBT singers American LGBT songwriters LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Bisexual non-binary people American non-binary writers American bisexual writers