A Parallax I (Deluxe Edition)

Album Review

Jamie Huggins spent 11 years with Of Montreal before releasing this solo debut, which finds him teaming up with his old bandmates to create another batch of pop music. Recorded between 2003 and 2008, A Parallax I isn’t a cohesive album as much as a loose collection of songs, some which were tracked digitally while others were recorded straight to cassette tape. The track list does maintain some sense of fluidity, though, due in no small part to the relaxed pace that links these songs together. Huggins is a casual frontman, willing to highlight his melodies with zippy instrumentation but refusing to break a sweat. And while Of Montreal usually look to funk, psych pop, and Broadway for inspiration, Huggins places more emphasis on ‘60s and ‘70s rock, a move that distances his tunes from those penned by Kevin Barnes. The synthesizers in “No No Baby” and “Window” sound like they’ve been lifted from Steve Miller’s Book of Dreams, and the ghost of Love happily haunts the remaining songs. The result isn’t always as arresting as Of Montreal’s work, but as far as Elephant 6 sideman albums go, this is one of the better ones. [A Parallax I was also released in a limited-edition double-disc package, with a six-song bonus disc featuring covers of other artists' music.]