Menomena – Friend or Foe

I found $80.00 today. Literally. There it was; just sitting on the sidewalk as I was running an errand for work. Eight ten dollar bills stacked neatly together. This is fantastic timing, too; I have been a bit lacking in that area recently. I found the new Menomena CD today. Literally. There it was; just streaming on the Barsuk Records website as I was looking around the internet. Twelve tracks all right in a row. This is fantastic timing, too; I have been a bit lacking in that area recently.

Amazingly enough, I am more excited about Friend or Foe. Granted, the $80.00 is a great windfall. I could ride the train for a month (I’m car-less), feed myself for two weeks (I’m skinny), or even drink for a night in Lincoln Park (I’m Irish). But no matter what I do, investments aside, the money will eventually be gone. However, with the album, ignoring the laws of diminishing marginal returns, can be listened to ad infinitum and still enjoyed.

When a new genre of music is created, it is difficult to qualify what has been done. …Blame Monster had very few holes when it was released, yet looking back, it feels empty compared to the new Friend or Foe. Their odd writing style has been fully embraced and apparently coddled to the point of exploitation. The sound is so new, expansive, and unrelenting, yet so definitively Menomena. The open drum crash immediately pulls you in, followed shortly by a flowing bass line and eventual tinkling pianos. The trio makes more noise than most 5 person bands.

The album, though solid throughout, peaks at two points. “Air aid,” founded on a staccato bass and snare drum heavy drum rhythm is the first truly standout track on the album. Never deviating from the drums and bass, a perfectly timed bari-sax ushers in the second verse even though a chorus was never introduced. Moments like this are rare in music, yet Menomena seem to capture several throughout the album – the exact thing the song needs, yet the last thing you’d expect.

The second peak occurs over two songs towards the end of the album with “Boyscout’n” and “Evil Bee.” These are two of the more accessible tracks for a new listener of Menomena. Whistles and the bari-sax (its everywhere on the album) start “Boyscout’n” off before it segways into a melodic verse, then falls off into the bliss of a military march beat, more bari-sax, and the occasional piano. As for “Evil Bee,” I’m leaving that one up to you. Just go listen to it. “I took a walk with an invisible friend/and on that walk, I gave my hand”

Now, I know, these are just words and the album is just music, but really the $80.00 is just cloth. It’s an assumed value. The US Government can’t even guarantee it with Fort Worth Gold. A Depression, nuclear holocaust, a mugger, or even some luck opposite of mine when finding the money could render it completely useless. However, the music will always be listenable (barring a Reservoir Dog’s-esque mishap). This all being said, I will be using $12.00 of my newfound $80.00 to purchase “Friend or Foe” from the Barsuk webpage so I can perhaps be listening to it the next time I come across money on the sidewalk.

Menomena – Wet and Rusting

These guys will also be busy at SXSW. Here’s where they’ll be:
Mar 14 2007
Beauty Bar – GenArt Showcase
Austin, Texas

Mar 15 2007
Buffalo Billiards – Barsuk Showcase
Austin, Texas

Mar 16 2007
Emos – Pitchfork Showcase
Austin, Texas

Mar 17 2007
Mohawk – Hot Freaks Showcase
Austin, Texas