An over-exciting, unfulfilling collection of songs that not only repeats the same themes, but also tweaks them in every which way to make them almost unrecognizable from their original thematic element, False Priest, the tenth studio album from the indie pop band Of Montreal, releases a certain musical energy that can be taken either negatively or positively, depending on what point of view you inspect it from.

Each track from the beginning to the end fills you with a different sense of understanding. Even from the first few seconds of the opening track, I Feel Ya’ Strutter, the high squeals moaning on about love and all its minuscule meanings, you can’t help but gain a sense of un-heroic passion that withholds itself throughout the album. Charting in at a lengthy 53 minutes and 43 seconds, False Priest comforts you with negativity and confusion. A confusion to love, pray, live and fuck. All the elements combined upset the rhythm of everyday life and False Priest is right there to be the music for the mayhem.

At the first listen there is not much movement, not much of a display is pictured for the listener to maneuver around. It is not until one fully listens to the intrinsic patterns of music, that over time become so prominently pieced together. It’s as if they start to choose what roads to travel through, to get to that personal negative or positive understanding of the album after its entirety.

A theme of love violently frolics through the 13 tracks, showing many different sides of itself. The sad aspect of love shines through greater than the happier more calming aspects, so this can only bestow one with a felling of discomfort, or most importantly a deep, vulnerable, sickly connection. Casualty of You is a beautifully creepy push towards the dark side of thought, but you cannot help but hold it in your hands and give comfort while it experiences its last reaming breaths of air.

The brighter aspect of False Priest, however, not as featured as the dimmer side, is a delicately soulful coalition of a few songs that grind and groove their ways through the clutter with delayed beauty and ignorance. Enemy Gene, featuring Janelle Monae, pushes on with pixie, mythical, light influenced passion while Like A Tourist demands happiness through a Bowie influenced croon mixed with a Chariots of Fire like theme.

Coquet Coquette, Of Montreal’s first single off the album is rightfully chosen for its mainstream appeal and its radio friendly tone. Its presence is remembered long after the song ends, leaving it desirable for the listener. The song omits a cry for greatness and a chance with love, all while spinning a message of falseness. Falsehood is the seed for the album. It remains very much so in foregrounds and is the first layer applied to all the songs.

False Priest conveys many meanings and leaves you in a state of neutrality. When the black clears away or when the black covers all, you understand no more and no less about anything. It’s a neutral piece of music that throws you in many directions but in the end you still arrive nowhere. Artistically pleasing and so elegantly glued together, it will shine on as a mediocre diamond.