Of Montreal does things collectively

There are number of bands in the indie rock world that qualify as musical collectives. They are generally large ensembles with flexible lineups: the New Pornographers, Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene.

Of Montreal stands out in that it’s not just a musical collective, it’s a full-blown art collective. Eight musicians currently make up the core of the Athens, Ga.-based band, but the group also employs the talents of various fine artists and performance artists.

Similar to Parliament-Funkadelic’s outrageously theatrical stage shows in the ’70s, Of Montreal concerts are known for their over-the-top costumes, stage designs and fictional characters. Ninjas battling demons, bikini-clad angels with giant wings and fornicating pigs were spotted onstage during the band’s concert trek last fall.

“We could do it without theatrics and it would be fine,” says Of Montreal frontman and creative guru Kevin Barnes. “But it’s just more fun with the theatrics. It makes it more fulfilling. You’re not just a musician, you’re also a performance artist. It’s like a family of artists.”

Among the stage characters on this tour, which comes to the Fillmore in San Francisco Friday night, are a superhero and the aforementioned pigs, which will be in old-school WWF wrestling mode this time around. Barnes also reveals that audiences are being treated to the appearance of “a guy who looks like Glenn Beck, but with tiny arms and legs.”

Barnes is proud that the creative ideas and energy surrounding the band stems from people who aren’t academically trained artists, performers and musicians. Sometimes people wear multiple hats; bassist Davey Pierce, for example, also contributes to the band’s stage and costume design.

It seemed fitting that the recent release of the band’s “Thecontrollersphere” EP coincided with the release of David Barnes’ book of art titled “What’s Weird?” Kevin’s brother David is responsible for most of the artwork that adorns Of Montreal’s CD packaging. He also contributes to the visual design of the band’s live shows.

The five tracks featured on “Thecontrollersphere” are leftover recordings from the sessions that produced the band’s last album, 2010’s “False Priest.”

With “False Priest,” Barnes made an ambitious attempt at breaking Of Montreal into the mainstream. Instead of self-producing the album as he usually does, Barnes hired producer Jon Brion to bring a commercial sheen to the project. Brion had previously worked with Kanye West and Fiona Apple. The R&B- and funk-heavy “False Priest” featured contributions from vocalist Janelle Monae and Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s sister.

Alas, “False Priest” didn’t become the big hit album Barnes had hoped, though it was the most commercially successful of the 10 albums the underground band had released since 1997.

“I thought it would be our most accessible record, the record that most people would be able to connect with,” Barnes says. “But oddly enough, it hasn’t really been perceived that way.”

Barnes was initially disappointed with the reception that greeted the album. But he has since come to view it as a blessing.

“In a way, having a successful album could be the worse thing for you because it makes you second-guess the way you move forward,” he says philosophically. “If you create this very successful machine, you may feel like you want it to keep operating smoothly.

“So you want to follow these rules. To be moderately successful is probably the best thing for an artist. If you’re moderately successful then you can still do what you do, but you’re also free to take chances and explore different possibilities.”

The next Of Montreal album will be anything but an overtly commercial venture, Barnes says. He’s currently working on longer, more spacious songs that include different movements. Woodwind, brass and string arrangements will help define many of these tracks. Barnes describes the album, which he hopes will be available in early 2012, as a symphonic-funk work. “I don’t think there’s been a record like this before,” he says.

Of Montreal may receive limited radio exposure. But its music has been placed in various commercials, television shows and feature films. T-Mobile, Outback Steakhouse and the TV series “Ugly Betty” have all featured the band’s songs. At best, this has been a mixed blessing for the idealistic Barnes.

“I kind of go back and forth on this issue,” he says. “Right now, I’m thinking it’s not good for people to put their songs in commercials. I don’t know if I’ll do it again.

“It does destroy any sort of romantic connection you might have with a song. It takes it out of this abstract world and places it somewhere that’s sort of common and mundane.”