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EDITORIAL REVIEWS A golden despondency is how Kevin Barnes translates the meaning behind Aureate Gloom, the title he gave Of Montreals thirteenth full-length album. The oxymoron is one Barnes says best describes the overall state of his life and mental outlook while working on the record - penning lyrics so personal they sound like entries ripped from a journal that should be permanently kept under lock and key. I was going through a very stormy period in my life and felt like I was just completely trashed, reveals Barnes. I might be guilty of sharing or exposing too much of my private life, but to me the best albums are those that help people connect with an artist on a deep, human level and that do so without too much artifice or evasiveness. Aureate Gloom was recorded directly to tape with musicians Kevin Barnes (guitar, vocals) , Clayton Rychlik (drums) , Bob Parins (bass) , Bennett Lewis (guitar) , and JoJo Glide well (keys) , plus the help of engineer Drew Vandenberg. The strength of the members musical rapport was instantly apparent. The group completed nearly a song a day and even wrote a brand new track on the spot, Apollyon Of Blue Room, whose title references a supposedly haunted bedroom in a hacienda on the studio grounds. With Aureate Gloom, Of Montreal have created one of the most unflinching, confessional and starkly emotional albums in their career.