The buzz: Kevin Barnes started his perpetually evolving of Montreal moniker back in 1997, but it's been over the past couple of years that his panoramic sonic explorations have reached a critical and public apex. In 2007, Barnes unleashed "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?", which was among the year's most kaleidoscopic and adventurous pop outings. Add a live show spectacle that's equal parts KISS, classic Bowie and Parliament-Funkadelic, and Barnes has positioned himself as the next great indie icon.

The verdict: On "Skeletal Lamping," Barnes has taken his all-inclusive ambitions to an even higher level, introducing a new persona, "Georgie Fruit," whom he has described as a black transsexual in his late 40s.

Barnes' intricate world of pansexual freedom soundtracked by indie funk jams has flowered into something verging on an alternate reality. Poppy jams like "Wicked Wisdom" add a '70s soft-rock bend to the mix, while the reverb-heavy minimalism of "Death Is Not a Parallel Move" is akin to early Love & Rockets as produced by George Clinton. There's a lot going on here, but the density promises to reveal more musical treasures upon repeated listens.

Did you know? Barnes' fearlessness is legendary; last year he performed a concert encore in Las Vegas fully nude. And even after catching flak for lending a song to an Outback Steakhouse commercial, he signed on for a widely criticized T-Mobile TV spot. He responded by penning a lengthy public diatribe entitled "Selling Out Isn't Possible," in which he stated, "Selling out ... is to create phony and insincere art in the hopes of becoming commercially successful. I've never done this and I can't imagine I ever will."