Lousy with Sylvianbriar
by Of Montreal
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    May 1, 2014
    67
    12th album Lousy with Sylvianbriar strums out a more agreeable amalgam for the veteran Athens, Ga., clown car.
  2. Dusted Magazine
    Dec 17, 2013
    60
    Even as Barnes works with a more limited palette, the drums/bass/guitar ensemble sounds as tight and crisp as could possibly be desired. He just doesn’t seem to want to be as gentle as the music that he has created here, resulting in a frustrating, and sometimes rather irritating listen.
  3. Uncut
    Nov 1, 2013
    70
    Bitter but sweet enough. [Dec 2013, p.71]
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  5. Slant Magazine
    Oct 22, 2013
    40
    Lousy with Sylvianbriar is, quite simply, a weary album.
  6. Magnet
    Oct 18, 2013
    90
    In control, indeed, and not just of scathing language. His command over his songwriter's rainbow, from pop sprite to pastoral sage to rockabilly goat gruff, redlines on "Hegira Emigre." [No. 103, p.56]
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  7. DIY Magazine
    Oct 18, 2013
    40
    For a group whose best moments are when they teeter on just about every edge imaginable, it's just... boring.
  8. The Quietus
    Oct 15, 2013
    20
    Lousy With Sylvanbriar is a drab, insufferably uninteresting album.
  9. Q Magazine
    Oct 11, 2013
    20
    Where once Of Montreal sparkled, they're now mired in a plodding, asexual beige. [Nov 2013, p.113]
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  10. Pitchfork
    Oct 11, 2013
    74
    Barnes seems playfully aware that his lyrics are Gordian knots, impossible for even the most devoted Of Montreal fan (including, possibly, himself) to untangle completely. And yet there are moments of clarity on Lousy with Sylvianbriar that prove Barnes is both his own harshest judge and most lenient jury.
  11. Clash Music
    Oct 10, 2013
    80
    Although Lousy With Sylvianbriar lacks the violent eclecticism of their 2007 classic ‘Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?’, it’s a genre-morphing triumph that reveals new surprises with each listen.
  12. musicOMH.com
    Oct 10, 2013
    90
    In the grand tradition of rockers who have music to cure their own isolation and misery, Barnes and Of Montreal have entered a great one in the canon with Lousy With Sylvianbriar.
  13. Consequence
    Oct 10, 2013
    80
    Each and every moment of Lousy With Sylvianbriar celebrates the breaking down of genre barriers that Dylan jumpstarted in 1965. It’s an album that looks to the past while illuminating perfectly the many talents of its contemporary creator.
  14. Drowned In Sound
    Oct 10, 2013
    70
    Lousy with Sylvianbriar won’t ever be viewed as the quintessential Of Montreal album. But sourness aside, it’s the healthy sound of a restless spirit.
  15. PopMatters
    Oct 9, 2013
    80
    Exactly where the album fits within the band’s catalog will probably be debated for as long as people talk about the band; where precisely you place it is irrelevant if the listening experience itself is this enjoyable.
  16. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 9, 2013
    70
    The stronger songs sound intentionally raw and impulsive; the weaker songs like demos waiting to be fleshed out.
  17. Filter
    Oct 8, 2013
    80
    Sylvianbriar brings a sunny openness to of Montreal’s ever-evolving cache with its sweeping changes in styles and instrumentation and adherence to more traditional song structures.
  18. Paste Magazine
    Oct 8, 2013
    92
    Whether exposing light or dark, or some blank hue in the middle, Barnes has all but bulls-eyed his status as a brilliantly daring artist on Lousy.
  19. Sputnikmusic
    Oct 8, 2013
    76
    What makes Lousy with Sylvianbriar a typically of Montreal album is Barnes’s effortless subversion of these classic rock idioms, his ability to distort the twangy harmonies and corn-fed heartland melodies with blindingly vivid, visceral lyrical imagery as deceptive and dark as it is gorgeously enunciated.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Oct 8, 2013
    67
    Overall, Lousy With Sylvianbriar is a satisfying link in bringing Barnes’ musical progression full-circle, but at times he seems to forget what made him so good at this stuff the first time around.
  21. Alternative Press
    Oct 7, 2013
    80
    Give this three plays and it'll stay imbedded in your autumn playlist. [Nov 2013, p.90]
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  22. Pretty Much Amazing
    Oct 7, 2013
    75
    While of Montreal aren’t exactly strutting 2007-style again, their tweaked, re-energized sound has them strutting nonetheless. And that’s what they do best.
  23. Under The Radar
    Oct 7, 2013
    70
    By producing an album without electronic stimulants, Kevin Barnes continues to explore fresh musical dimensions. And while it might not always pay off, Lousy With Svlvianbriar proves once again he has a songwriting consistency few can match.
  24. American Songwriter
    Oct 7, 2013
    80
    [Kevin Barnes] sounds like he’s gotten more comfortable here, and while that doesn’t always make for the best music, in the case of Of Montreal, it resulted in one of their best.
  25. Exclaim
    Oct 7, 2013
    70
    The melodies, meanwhile, avoid obvious hooks, in favour of tension and knotty complexity. This rescues Lousy with Sylvianbriar from dreary rockism.
  26. AllMusic
    Oct 7, 2013
    90
    Swapping out the sonic and mental clutter for a host of centered, unconfused rock tunes is a curveball move, for sure, but the end product is the most memorable, lasting, and relatable albums in Of Montreal's extensive catalog, and easily one of the best.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. buzzlight
    Oct 28, 2013
    9
    Looks like the critics can't agree on this one. After many listens, I am hearing some influences of beatles, deerhunter, velvet undergroundLooks like the critics can't agree on this one. After many listens, I am hearing some influences of beatles, deerhunter, velvet underground and maybe even foxygen, to name a few. With the exception of the song Hegira Emigre (which should be thrown out), all the songs are fantastic. I have listened to a lot of music this year, this is one of the best of 2013. Glad they changed things up, I was never a fan before.… Full Review »
  2. PRTYNTGRVS
    Oct 22, 2013
    9
    On this LP, Of Montreal give a solid release. They connect with the instrumentation found in their early works and Barnes' songwriting isOn this LP, Of Montreal give a solid release. They connect with the instrumentation found in their early works and Barnes' songwriting is still menacing and heartfelt while his vocal delivery and lyrical content communicate across the intimate and disturbing planes of emotion, which he consistently gives on every track here. The songs are cohesive however there isn't much diversity amongst the tracks. The band does however balance each style they bring into this album perfectly. There isn't too much rock and there isn't too much psychedelic flair, it's a happy medium. I do love the switch up from their previous works though, subtle electronic instrumentation is a good direction for them, really bringing out the talented strengths that the band is capable of. All in all, if there's anything to get from this, it's that you need to listen to this album and get lousy with sylvianbriar. Whatever that means.

    Follow @PRTYNTGRVS for more revies.    … Full Review »
  3. jkauzlar
    Oct 17, 2013
    9
    Every time I listen to this it gets better. The band is at their best. Lyrically and melodically, it's another classic entry into OfEvery time I listen to this it gets better. The band is at their best. Lyrically and melodically, it's another classic entry into Of Montreal's catalogue. And they're trying something a little new here, going back to the sixties to Dylan, Gram Parsons, Jefferson Airplane, etc, recording it quickly and without a lot of post-production, so it sounds a little rough like many of those garage albums of the period. Barnes' lyrical style is still dark and philosophical, as it has been since Hissing Fauna. I like Ty Segall, but on this record, Of Montreal is showing him how it's really done.… Full Review »
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