In a recent web feature following Jon Brion as he shops at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, the noted producer/songwriter/performer reveals what goodies he picked up that day, including Fats Waller, Liam Finn's solo debut, and a set of Glenn Gould DVDs. At the end of the piece, however, Brion holds court on Of Montreal, picking up two of the band's albums to give to a friend and generally extolling the virtues of Kevin Barnes' project. "I think he's the best thing going these days," says Brion. "There's nobody else I hear that I really have it for in the same way."

Maybe that's because Brion, a musical mastermind by many standards, recognizes a kind of kinship with Barnes. Certainly Barnes is possessed of a similarly manic genius, and as with Brion, he sometimes seem unable to stop the ideas from spilling over. Brion's talents, however, are typically tempered by his own good taste. The unfiltered Barnes, on the other hand, has no such compunctions, which is why the idea of Brion remixing Of Montreal is such an intriguing idea. One idiosyncratic oddball bringing order -- maybe -- to the other's sexy, excessive Id explosion? Bring it on.

Read the full review (7.2).

Recommended Tracks:
First Time High (Of Chicago Acoustic Version)
Gallery Piece (JB Remix)