Being a freshman at UW-Madison, I grew up in an age where Lil Wayne and Taylor Swift ruled the airwaves and rap music videos dominated the Internet. MTV no longer provides viewers with music videos and the sale of physical music is at a record low.
Although the music industry has seemed to slowly decline in quality throughout the last decade, newer bands such as fun. and Mumford & Sons seem to be putting the industry on their back and returning it to the promised land.
Menomena is another prophet in this revolution of independent rock, and has been fighting the mainstream music scene since 2000.
Composed of just two men, Justin Harris and Danny Seim, Menomena display an impressive array of musicality as both members of the duo make contributions in the vocal department and often trade instruments back and forth while recording and performing. When listening to them, it’s amazing to think only two guys produce all of the unique sounds featured by this band.
In a live performance setting, Menomena adds Brent Knopf to the crew, who plays keyboard and electric guitar while triggering samples in select songs with a laptop. Harris also plays electric guitar, as well as bass guitar and saxophone while Seim provides tempo with the drums and other percussive instruments.
You can hear each of these sounds and more on the band’s newest album, Moms, released Sept. 18 by Barsuk records.
I would personally describe Menomena’s sound as a mix between ’90s grunge and present-day alternative rock. In some of their songs listeners might even hear a hint of hip hop through the tempos of their drum and bass. Many of the tracks on Moms also sport the use of a synthesizer, bringing in a trippy element to the tunes.
Most of Menomena’s new album expresses these tendencies through their generally upbeat melodies and signature Hi-Fi sound. All of Moms exemplifies above-average production quality. Many different instruments make up Menomena’s sound in this album, their fifth since the band’s beginnings in late 2000, as well as an array of experimental sounds constantly filling the background.
The large spectrum of melodious harmonies displayed by Menomena make their appearance on the first track of Moms, “Plumage,” an upbeat tune that provides a welcoming beginning to this album. “Plumage” invites the listener to sit down and pay attention to Moms using goofy, enticing lyrics about searching for love along with a jovial guitar line and background piano parts. This soon builds to a short mid-track saxophone solo, after which Menomena displays their full sound potential.
Moms then continues into “Capsule,” proving Menomena has a wide range of musical ability, including the classic northeastern United States grunge genre.
“Capsule” helps to accentuate the many contrasting sounds of the new album; Moms often oscillates from dark and heavy all the way back up to happy and airy on its journey to the finish.
“Heavy Is As Heavy Does” is a piano-driven anthem about a man and the problems among his family. This song stands out to me as one of the highlights of Moms because of the emotion poured into this track by Harris and Seim. After over two minutes of calm vocals and piano in the background, “Heavy Is As Heavy Does” breaks into a very heavy (no pun intended) guitar riff with Menomena’s signature synthesized sound.
“Tantalus” then sends you on a trippy adventure using the power of drums and creative guitar licks. The first minute of the song is instrumental, driven by heavy drum playing and tweaky synthesizer sounds. Half way through the song, in pure, random Menomena fashion, the track takes an Arabian-influenced turn. “Tantalus” finishes off with trippy, chant-like vocals and heavy percussion work for the final two minutes, reminding me of a modern day “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”
“One Horse” is the 10-minute long conclusion to Moms, accurately exhibiting all corners of Menomena’s portfolio. This track is a proper, epic ending to the album and rightfully proves how talented Harris and Seim are, not only with instruments in their hands, but with their songwriting pens as well.
I found Moms to be quite the adventure and, although not my typical listening material, interesting to experience. If you are looking for a musical escape from the daily stressors of college life or need a platform to launch your own creative expression, then Menomena’s Moms is a work of art worth checking out.
