Let me dare say that I believe Menomena (pronounced ma-nom-uh-na) to be one of the best, and most underrated, bands working today. Their 2007 Friend or Foe hit early in the year to good reviews, but with major releases from Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Radiohead, The National, M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem and other big-name artists throughout the year, Menomena’s album faded from view. Now, I’ve heard the band’s “Wet & Rusting” and “Rotten Hell,” both excellent songs, from several different mainstream media outlets. Good for them. Menomena defy general description. One song can feature ten different instruments, and they don’t have a consistent voice for all the songs; even vocals are shared by the group. Not to mention their lyrics, which are brimming with razor sharp wit. The band takes their complex arrangements, and packs them full of hooks and gorgeous melodies. Suffice it to say, three and a half years was too long to wait for this band to put out new material. When you’re Radiohead, it builds the suspense. When you’re Menomena, people forget you exist. So, the tradition continues. Menomena waits forever to put out a new album, absolutely crush it, and presumably will hibernate for the next three years.

The closest point of comparison for Menomena’s sound might be a jazzier TV On the Radio. On Mines¸ the group seems intent on making songs more spacious, still eclectic but less compact. It was a bold decision by the band; shedding the feverish pace means sacrificing the raucous hooks that they carried so well. They now seem more comfortable showcasing slow-burners, and letting atmosphere take center stage. A couple of songs from the previous albums played around with darker, more sinister tones, but on Minesthe band looks to capitalize on them. “Five Little Rooms” and “Dirty Cartoons” fully exhibit this side of the band, one we’re not used to hearing from them. “Wet & Rusting” was a hit, but it was whimsical and a fun sing-along. It’s sad to see this lighter side go, but you have to respect the band’s choice to evolve and their ability to do so successfully.

Throughout their transformation, they still keep a lot of the old elements around. The buzzing bass, the synth, piano and horns are all there—it’s their use that changes. Here they are more deliberate, more punishing. “Sleeping Beauty” buzzes heavily through the clatter of crowded voices and sweet semblance of melody. “INTIL” is a piano-driven closer that slowly introduces solitary drum kicks in order to drive home the brittle, yet brutal impact of the song. It’s a damn awesome song. I don’t want to jump the gun, but this could be their best song ever. And in defiance to the old Menomena, they pull it off with almost no catchiness. Instead, the song employs a stone-cold beauty, letting the aesthetic thrive by playing off itself.

“TAOS” and “BOTE” become more like placeholders than strong additions to the band’s new sound. “TAOS” tries to rev up the tempo, but doesn’t find its mark. Not a bad song, but it just can’t match the brooding force of opener, “Queen Black Acid.” “BOTE” seems to pick up similarly to “TAOS” where Menomena try to incorporate punk elements into their signature sound. It’s solid stuff, but nothing can compare to when they scale back the punk in favor of a more quietly sinister sound. “Killemall” subdues the punk influences and goes back to a more ethereal sound, and the album immediately rebounds to the precedent set by the opener. “Dirty Cartoons” starts out unassumingly, with simple acoustic strums and distant piano chords before building into a powerfully slow-burning groove. This is just kind of what Menomena do. They’re really good at making music. This album is so fundamentally different, it’s hard to say if it’s necessarily better than their previous work. What is unequivocally certain however, is the fact that, though they may take their time, Menomena consistently offer amazingly strong, captivating music.

Track List:
1. Queen Black Acid
2. TAOS
3. Killemall
4. Dirty Cartoons
5. Tithe
6. BOTE
7. Lunchmeat
8. Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such a Big Boy
9. Five Little Rooms
10. Sleeping Beauty
11. INTIL