Bug Music Signs Of Montreal

For a band born of the quintessentially indie co-op Elephant Six in the late ’90s, psych-pop quintet Of Montreal have flirted with the beginnings of mainstream success.

For a band born of the quintessentially indie co-op Elephant Six in the late ’90s, psych-pop quintet Of Montreal have flirted with the beginnings of mainstream success. Though frontman Kevin Barnes has said Outback’s painfully ridiculous commercial jingle, which openly borrowed from an Of Montreal song, was more of a fluke than a corporate sell-out, the ad lent exposure to a band that had otherwise been ignored but for sparse critical praise. And with last year’s Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? giving the Athens, Ga. group a justified boost into late-night guestings, their latest release, Skeletal Lamping, has even enjoyed a Billboard debut.

On the heels of the exposure, publishing giants Bug Music have signed Of Montreal to their roster alongside such copyrights as Iggy Pop, Ryan Adams, Wilco and Johnny Cash. The deal serves as an extension of their previous agreement with partner company Windswept, which was acquired along with Trio/Quartet’s catalog last year in an effort to expand the publisher’s depth to some 250,000 copyrights. Today, the company boasts itself as the leading publisher in independent music. In typical cryptic fashion, Barnes said this: “I’m super psyched to renew my Bug deal. The future tastes like golden dragons.”

At least he didn’t compare it to making love like a pair of black wizards, right?