Of Montreal's Multiple Skeletal Lampings

Of Montreal are known for titles as obtuse as the above headline, colourful performances and creative music, and their latest endeavour won't do anything to harm that reputation.

Polyvinyl will release the Athens, Ga. psych-pop band 's Skeletal Lamping on CD and a 180-gram double-vinyl set on Oct. 7. The CD will come with a diorama that can be mounted on a CD player, while the LP will include a three-by-four-foot poster. That's all well and good, but nothing too radical. So if those formats seem too dull, you'll also be able to buy Skeletal Lamping in five other packaging formats: T-shirt, tote bag, button set, paper lantern and a wall decal set — but, sadly, not as a lamp. Each version will come with a code to download the album. Pre-orders start being taken around Sept. 1 on the Polyvinyl website.

"i wanted to make a record that could truly surprise a listener," Of Montreal leader Kevin Barnes wrote in a June 9 MySpace blog entry. "to create something that was, in turns, enraging,joyous,discomforting,playful,lovely,unpleasant,freaky,mesmeric...something that came close to capturing the labyrinthine complexity of this human consciousness."

Polyvinyl will release Skeletal Lamping lead single "Id Engager" and an exclusive non-album B-side on seven-inch coloured vinyl on Aug. 29. You can choose from blue, gold or purple, and buy one for five bucks or all three for $10. Each single will also come with a digital download of the songs. You can preview "Id Engager" on Of Montreal's MySpace page.

Drummer/vocalist Ahmed Gallab — the leader of Sinkane, who also joined Caribou's touring band — recently became Of Montreal's newest member.

Of Montreal and Gang Gang Dance will play Toronto's Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Oct. 28 and Montreal's Metropolis the next night.

Here are the songs on Skeletal Lamping:

"Nonpareil Of Favor"
"Wicked Wisdom"
"For Our Elegant Caste"
"Touched Something's Hollow"
"An Eluardian Instance"
"Gallery Piece"
"Women's Studies Victims"
"St. Exquisite's Confessions"
"Triphallus, To Punctuate!"
"And I've Seen A Bloody Shadow"
"Plastis Wafers"
"Death Is Not A Parallel Move"
"Beware Our Nubile Miscreants"
"Mingusings"
"Id Engager"