Menomena - Friend And Foe

I had never heard of Menomena prior to the release of this year’s “Friend and Foe,” but apparently this is the third in a series of wonderfully eclectic releases by this Portland, Oregon three piece. Their music seems to attack you from all over the place, and the first comparison that comes to mind upon listening to opening track “Muscle ‘n Flo” is that of the excellent TV On The Radio. The vocals are somewhat similar and their use of loops and beats show that these guys are at least on the same wavelength. The greatest difference however, is that Menomena clearly relies more heavily on improvisation than TTVOTR, and they do so to mixed results. When it works, the sound is nothing short of spectacular. A song like “Weird,” for example, is a real experience, where the steady groove is poised to reel you in, before a densely sporadic saxophone burps and toots its way into the proceedings, making for a strictly free sound. On the other hand, “Air Raid” seems to rely too much on improv, causing the song to lag and drag a little bit. The melodies are there as well, most notably in “My My,” where it sounds as if Thom Yorke may have given them a pointer or two on how to effectively balance art and the mainstream. I’m enjoying this album quite a bit and I would be interested in revisiting some of their older works and seeing how they compare with this one.

Downloads:
Wet and Rusting mp3

Stream the entire album here.
Go to the Menomena mypace page.
Purchase "Friend And Foe" over at Barsuk Records.