Barsuk
2007
Friend & Foe
About This Album
Though Menomena often peg themselves as an experimental band, and to some extent very much are an experimental band -- they create most of their songs using a homemade computer program that loops their instrumental riffs until they come up with something whole -- especially in the rhythm section, where the bass and drums play off one another intricately, blending punk- and funk-inspired beats with more straightforward rock emphases, they also have a delicate sense of melody and composition that balances these heavier underpinnings and makes the band rather poppy at times. It's a nice contrast, the lighter keyboards and almost nasally indie rock vocals (which all three members share) against the pounding drums and ominous saxophone. Musically, there's a lot happening on Friend and Foe, their first release with Barsuk -- different bits entering and exiting -- but it's not overwhelming or pretentious, because the band knows what it takes to create a song, and so they can then deconstruct its more typical notions and rebuild it into something that, while it may have recognizable and approachable parts, is more unconventional. "Air Aid" begins with a "Kashmir"-inspired bassline, accented by xylophones and electric guitars and programmed percussion, but it's headed by softer, introspective vocals that, strangely enough, closely resemble Trey Anastasio's.
Track List (try tracks 3,5,7,8,10 and 11)

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