2007, Barsuk
The latest from Portland three-piece Menomena, Friend and Foe, is loud and daring — but it's not so loud and daring that it becomes obnoxious, much to my surprise. It's not unusual for a band to try to push something new and creative to the world and end up only annoying listeners, and sadly, some of these bands have hits with large audiences. Menomena, though, doesn't have this problem. Not only is the music both interesting and well crafted, it's also easily listenable and enjoyable.
Menomena doesn't use the same instrumentation styles as mere mortals; it shows in the music the band creates. Friend and Foe is full of horns, bells, whistles and the like. "Boyscout'n," one of many tracks that would demonstrate this well, features at least one of the band members whistling, a horn section, and some requisite catchy melodies.
There's no single, easy way to explain Menomena, perhaps a testament to their depth and creativity. Experimentation is key for the group, but it isn't so outrageous as to detract most listeners. No, Menomena demonstrates temperance in creating Friend and Foe, creating something that's easy to pick up. One of thew few problems created by this approach is that the results can often be easy to simply put down. Menomena uses their musical prowess to create an album that, while not terribly painful to put down, won't create listeners that are overly eager to switch to something more riveting, and that's a real testament to the band's skill.