Montag

Antoine Bédard (aka Montag) has spent the last five years sculpting minimal electronica. But Going Places finds the Canadian producer working at the opposite end of the spectrum. He has crafted an album of electro-pop that’s so rich and syrupy, it drowns the senses.

Over a sea of fairly cheesy beats, Bédard merges lush melodies and a stream of forgettable guest vocalists, including members of M83, Stars, and Final Fantasy. On several tracks he tries to sound edgy, peppering simple pop tunes with annoying glitch tricks. But the two extremes clash miserably. Meanwhile, “No One Else” and “Hands Off, Creature!” sound identical in the process of ripping off Air.

A letdown for fans of Bédard’s usual work, the disc’s sole high point is the title track, an ingenious experiment in which Bédard collaborated with nearly 70 artists from around the world. After posting an open call for samples, he built a quirky symphony from the submissions. But the track doesn’t change this sad fact: Going Places is music for napping.

This article appears in Jul 25-31, 2007.