Of Montreal – False Priest

Credit the presence of Jon Brion (Kanye West) or cameos by pop singers, but False Priest is easily Of Montreal's most accessible album since 2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic. Squelching claims by naysayers of Skeletal Lamping, who suggested Kevin Barnes may have gone a bit too far off the rails, Of Montreal reels it in with a collection of largely chilled-out synth pop combined with a rich R&B influence.

Songs like Sex Karma, featuring Solange Knowles (yep, that's Beyonce's sister), present listeners with what might be a top-10 single on an alien planet, with irresistible hooks and, in Karma's case, the welcome back-and-forth between male and female vocals. Lead single Coquet Coquette's where you hear the band's return to live instrumentation best, but Priest isn't one-step-forward, two-steps-back: While it's a 'safe' album versus the wild sexcapades and depression of LPs past, there's enough here to engage fans from all quarters. [Jason Morton]