of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic [Orange & Black]

Satanic Panic in the Attic catches of Montreal mid-transformation, the 2004 album where Kevin Barnes began steering the band's storybook psych-pop toward the dancefloor. This pressing comes on orange and black vinyl.

Barnes made the record almost entirely by himself over a few months of 2003 and early 2004, and it shows in the restless, hand-built arrangements: vocals stacked to the ceiling, chirping keyboards and basslines that suddenly lurch into funk. Released by Polyvinyl, it bridges the whimsy of the early albums and the glam-disco reinvention that followed, and it still sounds like the moment the band's ideas clicked into place.

Disconnect the Dots opens with a strutting groove that announces the new direction loud and clear. Lysergic Bliss lives up to its name with a woozy, sun-dazed haze, while Your Magic Is Working is a giddy rush of melody and harmony. Vegan in Furs closes the album on a sly, playful note, with a title only Barnes could get away with.

The lyrics stay wonderfully odd, full of invented characters and tongue-in-cheek drama, all delivered with total commitment.

For anyone who loves bedroom pop with real ambition, this colourful pressing is an easy place to fall headfirst into one of indie rock's most shape-shifting bands.