Montreal’s Montag (a.k.a. Antoine Bédard) charts a new direction on his third album Going Places. Overhauling his delicate touch with vintage instruments, and transforming his sound into explosions of incandescent electronic pop, Montag fleshes out his lush sophisticated songs with guest appearances from musical friends Anthony Gonzales (M83), Owen Pallet (Final Fantasy), Amy Millan (Stars), Au Revoir Simone, Victoria Legrand (Beach House) and Ghislain Poirier.
Moving through the personal, Montag visits his lover in a pop anthem (Best Boy Electric) and the transformed ghosts of his family with nostalgia both sublime (Hi-5 au DJ) and ironic (Alice). Singing in English and French, the solo artist also forays into the social, imagining uprisings on Vancouver’s troubled streets (322 Water) and the eager compliance of a young battalion (Mechanical Kids). From blissful orchestrations (Safe in Sound, No One Else) to a sparse, boy-on-boy duet (Softness, I Forgot Your Name), Montag’s Going Places allows passage into landscapes full of color and contrast, at once vivid, intimate and other-worldly.
