There's a fine line between cute and terrifying. The grand prize for, ahem, straddling this line, doubtless goes to the Japanese. Just tune into "Pokémon" or their other bizarre, anime-tinged creations for proof. Pikachu might strike you as a cute, cuddly companion, but piss him off and he'll zap your ass faster than you can drop $2000 on his limited-edition trading cards. Not that I'd know or anything.
While the Japanese may lay claim to the crown for traumatizing our children by mixing the harmless with the violent and disturbing, Kindercore runs a close second. That Masters of the Hemisphere disc may have seemed like a fun-lovin' romp through innocuous twee-pop fields. But its horrid combination of bad music, bad art, and mind-bendingly illogical storytelling had many listeners in a fetal position, begging for the sweet release of death.
Luckily, Kindercore is home to one band that's managed to put the blurry distinction between the darling and the disgusting to use for the powers of good, rather than evil: Of Montreal. As the sappiest, most sugary, and probably most talented group on Kindercore's roster, Kevin Barnes and company have managed to pump out some of the most sickly sweet pop music in my collection. So sweet, in fact, that it's at times bordered on terrifying-- a dizzying, disorienting sugar rush that, while probably not very good for you, leaves you wanting more.
The Early Four Track Recordings is a collection of demos-- mostly recorded by a solo Kevin Barnes before Of Montreal released any official material-- with each track incorporating Dustin Hoffman into its title. It's also packaged in a jewel case that contains images of psychotic children in chains, mole-birds, and bizarre skull creatures. What the hell? Luckily, the music contained within is less alarming.
In fact, The Early Four Track Recordings may very well be the least cloyingly saccharine album released under the Of Montreal moniker to date. Kevin Barnes' masterful pop songwriting is in prime form, with the occasionally overpowering sound of Of Montreal playing as a full band is replaced by a more stripped-down, acoustic feel. Songs like "Dirty Dustin Hoffman Needs a Bath" and "Dustin Hoffman Thinks about Eating the Soap" are classic Kevin Barnes: peppy, poppy, and slightly insane. "Dustin Hoffman Quits Bathroom and Climbs a Tree" couples a flawlessly delivered vocal melody with hypnotic backwards guitar, resulting in one of the best tracks Barnes has ever committed to tape.
But given that The Early Four Track Recordings is a compilation, it comes as no surprise that it's not a particularly even album. "Dustin Hoffman Gets a Bath" is a bit too corny to be anything but annoying, and much of the record's midsection suffers from competent, but not particularly memorable songwriting. But while many of these tracks are less than stellar, none of the 16 Hoffman-inspired tracks ever approach being unlistenable.
Sometimes lackluster songwriting aside, The Early Four Track Recordings is a must for fans anxiously awaiting the upcoming Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies, and a perfectly good starting point for those who might find Of Montreal's over the top pop intimidating. Whereas Of Montreal's proper albums can leave you with a pounding ice cream headache, The Early Four Track Recordings gives you almost all the goodness with none of the harmful side effects.
