It has been said that an original artist is not a person who emulates no one, but rather is somebody that no one can emulate. Over the last fifteen years, of Montreal has imitated everyone (86 covers and counting), while developing its own inimitable sound -- a unique mixture of indie-pop, glam-rock, funk, and R&B.

Though private and reserved, frontman Kevin Barnes wears his fame like a feathered fedora: on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba, in collaborations with Spike Jonze, on stage spanking pigs with Susan Sarandon, on horseback in NYC's Roseland Ballroom, and even spontaneously performing six songs nude during a concert in Las Vegas.

"You really could describe Kevin as somebody like Prince," says of Montreal lead guitarist Bryan Poole. "He can play everything and view everything all on his own. There's a kind of magic when you've done it all yourself."

The new EP, thecontrollersphere, is a mini-album of sorts. It's a folk album but only the way of Montreal could envision a folk album. It clocks in at 23 minutes and features five songs, including the long awaited studio version of live favorite "Black Lion Massacare"- a pulsing sonic freakout; the darkest and noisiest song Kevin Barnes has ever written. It also features new artwork from David Barnes. "Black Lion Massacre" is the lead single.

of Montreal front man Kevin Barnes has issued a mission statement about thecontrollersphere:

“Here's your folk record, I hope you like that I've carried on the tradition of such folk luminaries as Abu Bakr Khairat, Benny More and Nawal Al Zoghbi. These songs were written in Sunlandia, that's where most of the folk songs are written now a days, and they were recorded up there, as well as in LA with Jon Brion, with no small contribution from Matt Chamberlain (drum du lum and yerba matte enthusiast) and K Ishibashi (my most modern classical friend). It is my hope that you can tolerate listening to this short EP in one sitting and appreciate it like a fine dining experience. Further more, the force that through the green fuse anointed this protest album. It is a protest statement against the pneuma possessive. In fact this album is the voice of a desirous spirit that is aware of it's positive zero chance of fulfillment or salvation or respite. There are many noisy moments that represent my attempt to communicate, in a sub human language, all that cannot be expressed with our earth tongue and all manners of mouth mechanisms. This little EP is a freak out record, have you ever seen anyone dancing to folk music? Well, like my fellow folk singing brother Bob Dylan once said, "I'd dance with you Maria, but my hands are on fire." Though, in this case, the world is roughly one year from extinction...or not.”