Friend and Foe - Menomena

Big Sound - Complicated & Interesting

As a lover of musical innovation and interesting technology this seemed a beautiful integration of software (similar to 'automix' but apparently much more complex & designed by them) and too many ideas. A beauty in the physical sense too... the CD packaging is very intricate and impressive... cut-outs and colors in secret windows that intrigue.
Musically for fans of The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev or perhaps The Earlies. Big clattering (sometimes startling!) drum sound, perfect piano parts, unexpected saxophones, strange group singing (think 'Clap your Hands say Yeah' or 'TV on the Radio') a million ideas, many stylistic / tempo changes within each song (has the song finished?) - but it all flows and makes sense on repeated plays - must admit I wasn't sure after the first listen... but aren't they sometimes eventually the best?

Good Listen

I heard this Band on Sirius Left of Center. The song Wet and Rusting was as close to perfect as I can imagine. I checked out their site at Barsuk records and it had a sample of the CD. It was all pretty good so I picked it up to check out the rest. I wasn't dissapointed. I'd recommend it to anyone that is in to experimental, indie music.

Did not work for me

I've listened to this CD at least five times now and it just isn't sticking. I understand what they are trying to do, but it did not work for me. It just feels awkward. I am fine with music being somewhat experimental, but there still needs to be some sort of flow to the end product and if anything, this feels artificial, forced, and choppy. It doesn't have to be this way. Albums like All Hour Cymbals and Person Pitch demonstrate that modern music can be experimental, unique, and have a fantastic flow to them. I recommend that they spend less time on the computer and more time jamming.

It isn't like I hate the album, but there isn't anything that brings me back to it either. The lyrics are inconsequential and I don't recall anything memorable about the tunes. That leaves the sonics and, well, it just isn't enough.

One cool thing about this CD is the cover artwork, the best I have seen in a few years. There are physical holes in the paper, allowing you to rotate or fold the insert differently revealing changes in the visual. For that itself, I am glad I purchased the physical CD, even though the music disappointed.

Menomena

This is actually the first Menomena record I'd ever heard, when I first listened to it. The music is absolutely very good music, indeed! I've purchased two other of their records since hearing this.

amazing

Menomena ia a band from Oregon. Their sound is hard to describe. Its more indie rock than anything I guess. Its very experimental, yet not too out of reach for an average music fan. Its beautiful and its fun, but can be very emotional at times. Some of the lyrics seem very heavy in subject matter to me. Favorite songs are - Muscle'n Flo, Wet And Rusting, and Air Aid. Expect to hear about this band in the future because there is no way that they will not get popular.

Overall they are one of the most original bands I have ever heard. This album is by far my favorite of 2007. Also. the cover art for this album is THE BEST COVER ART I have EVER seen for a band. There was so much thought put into it it blows my mind. That said, this album is way worth the 11 bucks to actually own.