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Of Montreal's Barnes on Next Album's New Sound, Solange Cameo

January 5, 2010 12:00 AM ET

Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes has revealed a few of the special guests he's recruiting for the band's upcoming follow-up to Skeletal Lamping aren't exactly the usual suspects. The singer tells Stereogum that the disc, tentatively titled False Priest or The Controller Sphere (and due in August/September 2010) will move away from the psychedelic-glam sound of the group's recent releases in favor of an aesthetic more in line with 1970s soul-funk stars like Parliament, Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder. (Grab a listen to a possible track from the album on Stereogum.)

So far, Barnes has recruited Solange — yes, Beyoncé's sister — and sci-fi crooner Janelle Monae to contribute to the disc. The record may be engineered by Late Registration producer Jon Brion — no big surprise, since Barnes expressed a desire to work with Brion during a December 2008 RS interview. Solange has long been an admirer of the band, and Beyoncé even name-checked Of Montreal in recent interviews as one of the bands her hipper younger sister has got her into. Plus, Rolling Stone's cameras caught Barnes and Monae chilling backstage during this year's Bonnaroo Festival.

Related Stories:
The Surreal Life: Of Montreal Feature
Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes Talks Next Album, Live DVD and MGMT Side Project
Of Montreal Debut "Teenage Unicorn Fisting" for Rolling Stone

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