Days to come (in photographs)

The two big shows I keep portending -- the E6 Holiday Surprise show in Pittsburgh this weekend and the of Montreal show in Philadelphia two weeks later -- have both already begun their tours, and pictures are making their rounds. Earlier today, my boss forwarded me this link, which featured visual evidence of just how strange a band of Montreal has become.




This is what happens when Kevin Barnes has money.

Of Montreal has reached a different level than has its E6 brethren, which isn't to say the band is specifically better or even more popular, but what Barnes and co. are doing is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's more than a band at this point, and while of Montreal is entirely different from other Elephant Six bands and even the of Montreal of only a few years ago, the innovative spirit underscored by a playful curiosity and genuine honesty is a microcosm of the aesthetic sought by the entire collective.

Conversely, the pictures from the Holiday Surprise tour have been a little less ostentatious. Plenty of great ones can be found here (thanks to John Kendelhart). You'll notice a few have a guy that looks like this:



If you're unfamiliar, this is Jeff Mangum, the main mind behind the criminally short-lived Neutral Milk Hotel and the de facto face of the Elephant Six Recording Company, for better or for worse. He joined the crew on stage in New York for a few songs (which you can watch here) and is expected to be at the dates in Chicago and Kentucky (though not in Pittsburgh, unfortunately). I'll have some more on this tomorrow.