False Priest is one of those albums that pops out of the speakers with thumping bass and a sonic overload that takes its cues from ‘70s R&B and Scissor Sisters. Of Montreal maintains the same sonic elements from their previous effort, Skeletal Lamping, but omits the heavy electronic bits and instead serves up rock-solid R&B and funk. Lead single “Coquet Coquette” crosses up this sound with a fantastic pulsing guitar line. The single best song on False Priest is “Our Riotous Defects,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on the dance floor at Studio 54. As a whole, False Priest cranks out the mirrorballs and the funk to produce what is a largely pleasant album. It may take a bit to grow on diehard Of Montreal fans, but ultimately this album is a piece of raucous fun.
(Polyvinyl Record Co., PO Box 7140, Champaign, IL 61826-7140)