It takes a very brave rock frontman to sing, "I am a happy yellow bumble bee/I fly around the flowers and trees." But Kevin Barnes is not an ordinary frontman. Of Montreal is not an ordinary band. And "The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is an extraordinary concept album, both whimsical and poignant.

The album seems to follow a love affair: people being attracted to each other, falling in love and getting that glorious buzz from it, becoming close and comfortable, but ("Only losing something beautiful could make a person feel this way") finally splitting in heartbreak. At first it seems rather sugary, but repeated listens show that it's actually very wrenching.

It opens with a bouncy, buzzy ode called "One of a Very Few of a Kind," followed by the chirrupy "Happy Yellow Bumblebee." The narrator vows "I will be a good boy and never tell you the bad things that I think about." They head to the sensuous "Honeymoon in San Francisco," followed by a string of cutesy little songs that talk about "my panda bear" and "my cutie pie."

But then things go downhill, starting with the poignant "Please Tell Me So." Then he admits, "But sweetheart, incredibly it's true..../that your cutie pie has forgotten what he saw in you," but then pleads with her not to go. The narrative ends with heartbreak, flipping through photographs and nursing his pain.

"Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is well-named -- it's a tragedy, but a very personal, petite one. Anyone who has ever fallen in love, but had that love fall through, will see a bit of themselves in this album. It's less goofy and more serious than Of Montreal's other albums, and it suits them well.

The music is relatively low on the weirdness scale. It sounds like a blend of the Beatles and Beach Boys -- mellow and sweet. Most of it was guitars and piano, with sweeps of organ, harmonica, tambourines and the occasional horn. But sometimes we get stuff like the representation of the "Couple's First Kiss": party horns, carnival sounds and a sweet music box melody.

Of Montreal's "Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is overshadowed by other brilliant albums. But this one is psychedelic pop for lovers nursing a broken heart.

It takes a very brave rock frontman to sing, "I am a happy yellow bumble bee/I fly around the flowers and trees." But Kevin Barnes is not an ordinary frontman. Of Montreal is not an ordinary band. And "The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is an extraordinary concept album, both whimsical and poignant.

The album seems to follow a love affair: people being attracted to each other, falling in love and getting that glorious buzz from it, becoming close and comfortable, but ("Only losing something beautiful could make a person feel this way") finally splitting in heartbreak. At first it seems rather sugary, but repeated listens show that it's actually very wrenching.

It opens with a bouncy, buzzy ode called "One of a Very Few of a Kind," followed by the chirrupy "Happy Yellow Bumblebee." The narrator vows "I will be a good boy and never tell you the bad things that I think about." They head to the sensuous "Honeymoon in San Francisco," followed by a string of cutesy little songs that talk about "my panda bear" and "my cutie pie."

But then things go downhill, starting with the poignant "Please Tell Me So." Then he admits, "But sweetheart, incredibly it's true..../that your cutie pie has forgotten what he saw in you," but then pleads with her not to go. The narrative ends with heartbreak, flipping through photographs and nursing his pain.

"Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is well-named -- it's a tragedy, but a very personal, petite one. Anyone who has ever fallen in love, but had that love fall through, will see a bit of themselves in this album. It's less goofy and more serious than Of Montreal's other albums, and it suits them well.

The music is relatively low on the weirdness scale. It sounds like a blend of the Beatles and Beach Boys -- mellow and sweet. Most of it was guitars and piano, with sweeps of organ, harmonica, tambourines and the occasional horn. But sometimes we get stuff like the representation of the "Couple's First Kiss": party horns, carnival sounds and a sweet music box melody.

Of Montreal's "Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy" is overshadowed by other brilliant albums. But this one is psychedelic pop for lovers nursing a broken heart.

A1 One Of A Very Few Other Kind

A2 Happy Yellow Bumblebee

A3 Little Viola Hidden In The Orchestra

A4 The Couple's First Kiss

A5 Sing You A Love Song

A6 Honeymoon In San Francisco

A7 The Couple In Bed Together Under A Warm Blanket Wrapped Up In Each Other's Arms Asleep

A8 Cutie Pie

B1 Panda Bear

B2 Sadness Creeping Up And Scaring Away The Couple's Happiness

B3 Please Tell Me So

B4 My Darling, I've Forgotten

B5 You Feel You Must Go, Don't Go!

B6 Just Recently Lost Something Of Importance

B7 The Hollow Room

B8 It's Easy To Sleep When You're Dead

Pop Kulcher Review: This is one of the more offbeat and colorful albums I've picked up this year, though, sadly, it never quite works as well as it could. Of Montreal are part of the omni-present Elephant 6 collective of neo-pop bands, though trading many of those bands' trademark psychedelic power pop and studio gimmickry for a stripped down, pre-rock organic sound. Bedside Drama is an endearing concept album, tracing a single relationship from the initial crush to the painful breakup. Along the way we get the wedding, the the growing staleness and increasing communication breakdown, post-breakup resentment, and finally a sort of contented resolution. And it's all done with such a disarming, naive charm that it never gets maudlin or hokey. The sound falls somewhere between the similarly pastoral Kinks classic Village Green Preservation Society and Syd Barrett's solo albums (with some obvious nods to the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks collaborations and the little-known pre-King Crimson charmer The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp). The album's strength lies in its uniquely guileless, pretense-free lyrics: the initial serenade is built on the refrain "I doubt that you're the only one like you that I'll find, but I'm sure you're one of a very few of a kind," while the album closes with the lament, "It's easy to sleep when you're dead" (a surprisingly chipper, upbeat song). Instrumentally, the album is pretty mid-fi, primarily acoustic guitars and simple drums with the occasional organ or kazoo solo. Ultimately, though, the album is somewhat unsatisfying; while the concept is clever to a fault, Of Montreal lacks either the pure popcraft of an Apples in Stereo or the musical innovation of an Olivia Tremor Control necessary to provide an entertaining musical foundation for the album's lyrical charms. Fans of any of the albums noted above might want to check this out, but I can't see giving it more than the occasional spin.

Pop Kulcher Review: This is one of the more offbeat and colorful albums I've picked up this year, though, sadly, it never quite works as well as it could. Of Montreal are part of the omni-present Elephant 6 collective of neo-pop bands, though trading many of those bands' trademark psychedelic power pop and studio gimmickry for a stripped down, pre-rock organic sound. Bedside Drama is an endearing concept album, tracing a single relationship from the initial crush to the painful breakup. Along the way we get the wedding, the the growing staleness and increasing communication breakdown, post-breakup resentment, and finally a sort of contented resolution. And it's all done with such a disarming, naive charm that it never gets maudlin or hokey. The sound falls somewhere between the similarly pastoral Kinks classic Village Green Preservation Society and Syd Barrett's solo albums (with some obvious nods to the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks collaborations and the little-known pre-King Crimson charmer The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp). The album's strength lies in its uniquely guileless, pretense-free lyrics: the initial serenade is built on the refrain "I doubt that you're the only one like you that I'll find, but I'm sure you're one of a very few of a kind," while the album closes with the lament, "It's easy to sleep when you're dead" (a surprisingly chipper, upbeat song). Instrumentally, the album is pretty mid-fi, primarily acoustic guitars and simple drums with the occasional organ or kazoo solo. Ultimately, though, the album is somewhat unsatisfying; while the concept is clever to a fault, Of Montreal lacks either the pure popcraft of an Apples in Stereo or the musical innovation of an Olivia Tremor Control necessary to provide an entertaining musical foundation for the album's lyrical charms. Fans of any of the albums noted above might want to check this out, but I can't see giving it more than the occasional spin.