Menomena
Mines
Barsuk
It really gets me going when the first song on a new (and much-anticipated) album makes me swoon on both a sexual and an intellectual level. Menomena’s “Queen Black Acid,” off their most recent album, Mines, does just that. Even more impressive is the equally stimulating bundle of tracks that follows. What girl wouldn’t like to hear, “You’re five-foot-five/not a 100 pounds/I’m scared to death/of every ounce” crooned over heavy brass? Maybe it’s me, but listeners can expect to be drawn in by catchy lyrics coupled with ever-changing delivery as the three Portland, Oregon natives share vocal duties on this new album.
It’s easy to classify Menomena as experimental, given the wide variety in sound found throughout their entire discography, which includes two previous LP’s I Am the Fun Blame Monnster! (2003) and Friend and Foe (2007), in addition to two EPs, Wet and Rustling (2003) and Under an Hour (2004). Add Mines to that list as well.
The acoustic grit of “Dirty Cartoons” reminds me of everything I like about live shows: hearing a stutter in a strum or a fault in what sounds like an otherwise perfect delivery. The simple addition of some piano also gives the track an impromptu feel, as if someone happned to lazily drag their fingers across the keyboard only make a splendid discovery.
A xylophone solo delicately opens the next track, “Tithe,” which became an instant personal favorite, if not for it’s simple beauty then for it’s heartbreaking lyrics: “Spending the best years of a childhood horizontal on the floor/like a bobsled minus the teamwork and the televised support/and nothing sounds appealing.” Driven and moody, the song showcases the band’s talent to create a surprise around every corner with a diverse selection of instruments—first a riffy guitar, next with bouncy bass, then a Korg-and-piano duet.
The second half of the album is more reminiscent of Menomena’s older work, specifically “BOTE,” which is heavy on the funk and brass. It tells a tale of reaping what you sow in a relatable “my boat is sinking and I’m lost” kind of way, while the vocals beg “Oh, sea legs please don’t fail me now!”
“Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such a Big Boy” claims the longest song title of the album, yet has the least amount to say. Four or five lines are repeated over, driving home the track’s melancholy message:
All my life I’ve run away
From those who’ve begged me to stay
All your love is not enough
To fill my half empty cup
Your love, oh my love, is just not enough
The band has been criticized for feigning maturity, but I found Mines to be enjoyable without being too serious or calculated. This is evidenced in the last two tracks, “Sleeping Beauty” and “INTIL.” Here, Menomena find the perfect balance between what is ideal and what is real, pairing cohesive chords with sporadic, out of key movements, all without losing their sound. Perhaps that’s why Mines is such a success—it isn’t trying to be perfect. Rather the band seems to have let that fall behind a higher priority to mirror reality.
“Queen Black Acid”
