Montag : Going Places

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/montaggoingplaces.jpg" alt=" " />Montag may be <span class="texte">Antoine Bédard's solo project, but on <i>Going Places</i>, he's definitely not alone.  </span>Bédard gets a lot of help from his friends,...
7.5 Carpark
2007 

 Montag may be Antoine Bédard’s solo project, but on Going Places, he’s definitely not alone.  Bédard gets a lot of help from his friends, which altogether, are an indie pop all-star team. Anthony Gonzales, Amy Millan, Owen Pallet, Au Revoir Simone, and Victoria Legrand (among others) lend a helping hand on his lush, electronic-pop album.

Going Places is a relatively quiet album, but not without its eccentricities.   Like a downtempo DJ set, the album is full of sporadic synthetic noise and complex rhythms while maintaining a low-key vibe.  The opening track, "I Have Sound" is a slow whisper and orchestral surge, as if Bédard’s awakening to the concept of controlling his own sound.  The next track, "Best Boy Electric" is a giddy, innocent synth party.  "Alice" is a buzzing, swirling romp, featuring vocals in French.  "Softness, I Forgot Your Name" is a string-plucking saunter, and provides smooth relief from the dominating electronics.  There are several flavors in each unassuming bite.

For such a widely collaborative effort, Going Places manages to stay whole as a low-key exploration of digital smoothness. It’s mostly calm, but not without bright surges of energy, and the electronic landscape is a flower-covered valley.  It’s soothing, playful, and somewhat psychedelic.  Pleasant all around.

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