Menomena
Encyclopedia
Menomena are an indie rock
band from Portland, Oregon
, United States
; currently made up of Justin Harris, Danny Seim
and more recently Joe Haege of 31Knots
and Tu Fawning. All members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording.
Lackthereof
.
The band formed in late 2000, when Knopf graduated from Dartmouth College
and returned to Portand
to collaborate with Harris and Seim.
The name "Menomena" was chosen for "the way it rolls off the tongue, sexually, or something" and has no specific meaning, although it is often assumed to refer to the Piero Umiliani
song "Mah Nà Mah Nà
", a staple of The Muppet Show
. In an audio clip from SpotDJ, Knopf sarcastically stated that the band name was a portmanteau of the words "Men" and "Phenomena."http://menomena.com/?page_id=2
Menomena played their first show in July 2001, at The Meow Meow, a now-defunct all ages venue in Portland. The trio opened with a cover version
of "The Abandoned Hospital Ship" by The Flaming Lips
.
Shortly after, they joined the roster of High Road Touring, a San Francisco-based booking agency. For their first U.S. tour in 2004, Menomena drove a 1977 Dodge Sportsman RV. The aging vehicle suffered many breakdowns along the way. Knopf detailed these issues in an interview in Spin
: "Systems that failed (and had to be replaced) during the tour included the following: tires, muffler, brake, master cylinder, exhaust manifold, windshield wipers, horn, side-view mirrors (both fell off). Oh, and did I mention that there were two fires? Not one. Two. This vehicle promptly earned the moniker 'RV Danger.'" RV Danger (most likely a reference to Seattle band Harvey Danger
) was later immortalized in a tour poster illustrated by Tyler Stout, who has collaborated with the band on numerous occasions. Other notable tours in Menomena's early career were with Gang of Four
, The National
, and The Long Winters
.
After several releases and national tours, Menomena signed with Barsuk Records in August 2006. The band still maintains a relationship with their original label, FILMguerrero
. It was stated that FILMguerrero will continue be involved in their back catalog and possibly with future vinyl
releases.
Menomena signed a contract with German
record label City Slang, to release their album Friend and Foe across Europe
on August 31, 2007. The band toured Europe twice that year, and their adventures were extensively chronicled by Seim in a blog
for Portland-based website Local Cut.
On January 7, 2011 Menomena announced the departure of Brent Knopf on the Menomena website: "After 10 years of fruitful collaboration, Brent Knopf has decided to part ways with Menomena to focus on Ramona Falls and other creative pursuits. We want to thank Brent for his vast contributions over the years and wish him nothing but happiness in all of his future endeavors. All three of us look forward to seeing you soon!"
recordings at local shows, Knopf, Harris, and Seim stuck with the DIY aesthetic of their early demos by recording their first album themselves. The result was their nine-song debut, I Am the Fun Blame Monster!
(an anagram
for "The First Menomena Album"), which was self-released on May 20, 2003. The album was elaborately packaged in an 80-page flipbook that Seim designed and individually hand-assembled while working at Kinko's.
A friend advised the band to mail a copy of their album to Pitchfork Media
, a popular music website that Seim "had never heard of" at the time. Several months later, Pitchfork gave the album an 8.7/10 rating, and placed it in the "Best New Music" section. The band continued to assemble the flipbooks by hand and distribute them with the help of online retailer CD Baby
until late 2004, when the album was released nationwide by FILMguerrero, a Portland-based independent record label.
The song "Strongest Man in the World" is featured on the soundtrack to the film Paranoid Park
, which was not only set and filmed in Portland, but also directed by fellow Rip City resident Gus Van Sant
. Danny Seim has written about his youth involvement in Portland's skate culture for soundcheckmagazine.com.
, an album of instrumental
music written for and performed with Monster Squad
, an experimental dance company based in Portland. The release consists of only three tracks, each of which is over seventeen minutes in length. Stylus Magazine
gave the album a somewhat lukewarm "B-" and described it as, "…an interesting view into a band that continues to evolve without really throwing down any breadcrumbs for them or us to follow."
was entirely produced, recorded, and mixed by the band. It received relative critical acclaim—while some websites such as Lost at Sea praised the album for its offbeat rhythmic structure and creative use of melody, others such as PopMatters
criticized it for presenting a sense of feigned maturity. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.5/10 and again placed it in the "Best New Music" section, calling it, "…The first great indie rock record of the new year."
To celebrate the release of the album, Harris assembled a 25-member choir and taught them the various vocal layers of the new material with the help of his mother Diane, a trained opera singer. The choir was made up of other Portland-based bands and artists, including The Helio Sequence
, 31Knots
, Nick Jaina, Pseudosix, Dat'r
, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Corrina Repp
, Ms. Murgatroid, prussia
, and several other of Harris' close friends. The Friend and Foe CD release show was held at Portland's Crystal Ballroom
on January 28, 2007.
The CD and LP (the latter was released in August 2007 by FILMguerrero) features an intricate packaging layout consisting of Die
-cut shapes, decoder rings, and hidden messages. It was designed by Knopf and illustrated by cult graphic novelist/cartoonist Craig Thompson
, of Blankets
fame. Thompson's artwork for Friend and Foe was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Recording Package."
Menomena spent most of 2009 in and out of the studio. A collection of pictures from these sessions were posted on their official myspace, although no comments were made about the album's progress. In December, Pitchfork posted a video of Menomena playing a brand new track, "Queen Black Acid", in a hotel room, and in January Menomena stated, "We're finishing our new album in two weeks..." via twitter.
It was confirmed by Pitchfork on April 7, 2010, that Menomena's fourth full length album, Mines
, would be released on July 26 in Europe via City Slang and July 27 in North America via Barsuk. A 7-inch split with The Helio Sequence would also be released on Record Store Day
, with Menomena contributing the new track "Pilgrim's Progress".
. Knopf will be replaced by Paul Alcott for Menomena's upcoming tour dates. Both Knopf and Danny Seim addressed the matter in an interview posted on the Portland-based Local Cut blog two weeks later. Seim mentioned that he and Justin Harris will continue to make music as Menomena, stating, "We lost a major creative force in Brent, but thankfully, Brent’s not Kurt Cobain, and we’re not Nirvana. Brent’s more like Peter Gabriel and we’re more like Genesis. And everyone knows how much better Genesis got after that talentless hack Gabriel quit. Waitaminute…"
Throughout the course of a typical concert, Knopf plays keyboards, electric guitar(s), and glockenspiel
, while triggering various MIDI samples with his laptop
; Harris plays electric guitar(s), baritone guitar
, electric bass, Moog Taurus
foot synthesizer (or a Roland
Pk-5 when touring Europe), baritone saxophone
, and alto saxophone
; Seim plays drums and other percussion. All three members contribute vocal harmonies and sing lead on different songs.
In 2007 they did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon
. Later on that year, Craig Thompson appeared on stage with Menomena at several concerts over the course of a European tour. Throughout these performances, Thompson painted along with the music using a brush and ink on a large sheet of butcher paper. At the end of each show, the pieces were ripped into shreds and thrown into the audience.
Menomena added multi-instrumentalist Joe Haege of 31Knots
as a touring member in 2010. On August 9, the band made their national television debut as a four-piece with Haege on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
.
called the Digital Looping Recorder, or Deeler for short. It was programmed by Knopf using the language Max
. Seim explains the process: "First, we set the tempo
of the click, which is played through a pair of headphones
. We then take turns passing a single mic around the room. One of us will hold the mic in front of an instrument, while another one of us will lay down a short improvised riff over the click track. We usually start with the drums. Once the drums begin looping
, we throw on some bass, piano, guitar, bells, sax, or whatever other sort of noisemaker happens to be in the room. Deeler keeps the process democratic, which is the only way we can operate."
The use of Deeler as a compositional tool was discussed extensively by the band in an interview published in the May/June 2005 issue (#47) of Tape Op
magazine.
Menomena is a band with no primary songwriter
, and their albums develop through a slow exchange of song ideas - usually via email
. "I'm not aware of a single instance when we were together [recording]," said Brent Knopf of the album Mines
. The Portland Mercury
described this as a "painstaking cut-and-paste method of song assembly ... as each member contributes, then vanishes, only to return later to add more."
| || "Friend and Foe
" || Best Recording Package ||
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; currently made up of Justin Harris, Danny Seim
Lackthereof
Lackthereof is the solo project of Danny Seim, a founding member of the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena.-History:The first six Lackthereof albums were recorded at home and given out to Seim's friends on cassettes and CD-R's...
and more recently Joe Haege of 31Knots
31Knots
31Knots is a band based in Portland, Oregon by guitarist Joe Haege and bassist Jay Winebrenner. It was originally founded in Chicago in 1997. In 1998 the band added Joe Kelly as a drummer; in 2003 he left and was replaced by Jay Pellicci of Dilute...
and Tu Fawning. All members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording.
History
Menomena began as a side project of Seim's solo projectSolo project
A solo project usually refers to a single member of a band's work independent of their original group, yet typically without having quit their original group...
Lackthereof
Lackthereof
Lackthereof is the solo project of Danny Seim, a founding member of the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena.-History:The first six Lackthereof albums were recorded at home and given out to Seim's friends on cassettes and CD-R's...
.
The band formed in late 2000, when Knopf graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and returned to Portand
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
to collaborate with Harris and Seim.
The name "Menomena" was chosen for "the way it rolls off the tongue, sexually, or something" and has no specific meaning, although it is often assumed to refer to the Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani was an Italian composer of film scores, and is most famous for his song "Mah Nà Mah Nà".-Biography:Umiliani was born in Florence, Tuscany...
song "Mah Nà Mah Nà
Mah Nà Mah Nà
"Mah Nà Mah Nà" is a popular song written by Piero Umiliani. It originally appeared in the Italian film Sweden: Heaven and Hell . It was a minor radio hit in the U.S...
", a staple of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
. In an audio clip from SpotDJ, Knopf sarcastically stated that the band name was a portmanteau of the words "Men" and "Phenomena."http://menomena.com/?page_id=2
Menomena played their first show in July 2001, at The Meow Meow, a now-defunct all ages venue in Portland. The trio opened with a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "The Abandoned Hospital Ship" by The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
.
Shortly after, they joined the roster of High Road Touring, a San Francisco-based booking agency. For their first U.S. tour in 2004, Menomena drove a 1977 Dodge Sportsman RV. The aging vehicle suffered many breakdowns along the way. Knopf detailed these issues in an interview in Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
: "Systems that failed (and had to be replaced) during the tour included the following: tires, muffler, brake, master cylinder, exhaust manifold, windshield wipers, horn, side-view mirrors (both fell off). Oh, and did I mention that there were two fires? Not one. Two. This vehicle promptly earned the moniker 'RV Danger.'" RV Danger (most likely a reference to Seattle band Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger was an American indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993, and rose to prominence in 1998 with the single "Flagpole Sitta." On August 29, 2009, the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle....
) was later immortalized in a tour poster illustrated by Tyler Stout, who has collaborated with the band on numerous occasions. Other notable tours in Menomena's early career were with Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
, The National
The National (band)
The National is an indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1999 and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone...
, and The Long Winters
The Long Winters
The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.-Early history:Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He later returned to Seattle, formed the Bun Family Players and the The Western State Hurricanes...
.
After several releases and national tours, Menomena signed with Barsuk Records in August 2006. The band still maintains a relationship with their original label, FILMguerrero
FILMguerrero
FILMguerrero is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1998 by John Askew as a way to release Ames, the debut album by Askew's studio project Tracker. Since then, the label has gone on to release CDs, LPs and EPs by a number of different artists...
. It was stated that FILMguerrero will continue be involved in their back catalog and possibly with future vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
releases.
Menomena signed a contract with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
record label City Slang, to release their album Friend and Foe across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on August 31, 2007. The band toured Europe twice that year, and their adventures were extensively chronicled by Seim in a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for Portland-based website Local Cut.
On January 7, 2011 Menomena announced the departure of Brent Knopf on the Menomena website: "After 10 years of fruitful collaboration, Brent Knopf has decided to part ways with Menomena to focus on Ramona Falls and other creative pursuits. We want to thank Brent for his vast contributions over the years and wish him nothing but happiness in all of his future endeavors. All three of us look forward to seeing you soon!"
I Am the Fun Blame Monster!
After giving away several different homemade demo CD-RCD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
recordings at local shows, Knopf, Harris, and Seim stuck with the DIY aesthetic of their early demos by recording their first album themselves. The result was their nine-song debut, I Am the Fun Blame Monster!
I Am the Fun Blame Monster!
I Am the Fun Blame Monster! is the debut album of the band Menomena. It was self-released on May 20, 2003 and made available exclusively through online retailer CD Baby. The CD was re-released by FILMguerrero in 2004, and then again by Barsuk/FILMguerrero in 2007...
(an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
for "The First Menomena Album"), which was self-released on May 20, 2003. The album was elaborately packaged in an 80-page flipbook that Seim designed and individually hand-assembled while working at Kinko's.
A friend advised the band to mail a copy of their album to Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, a popular music website that Seim "had never heard of" at the time. Several months later, Pitchfork gave the album an 8.7/10 rating, and placed it in the "Best New Music" section. The band continued to assemble the flipbooks by hand and distribute them with the help of online retailer CD Baby
CD Baby
CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...
until late 2004, when the album was released nationwide by FILMguerrero, a Portland-based independent record label.
The song "Strongest Man in the World" is featured on the soundtrack to the film Paranoid Park
Paranoid Park (film)
Paranoid Park is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Blake Nelson and takes place in Portland, Oregon. It stars Gabe Nevins as a teenage skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard.Van Sant wrote the draft...
, which was not only set and filmed in Portland, but also directed by fellow Rip City resident Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
. Danny Seim has written about his youth involvement in Portland's skate culture for soundcheckmagazine.com.
Under an Hour
On November 8, 2005, Menomena released Under an HourUnder An Hour
Under an Hour is the second full-length album from Portland-based experimental pop/rock group Menomena. The album was originally composed and performed as accompaniment for a performance by Portland dance company Monster Squad...
, an album of instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
music written for and performed with Monster Squad
Monster Squad
Monster Squad is a television series that aired Saturday mornings on NBC from 1976-1977 that is unrelated to the later movie of the same name....
, an experimental dance company based in Portland. The release consists of only three tracks, each of which is over seventeen minutes in length. Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
gave the album a somewhat lukewarm "B-" and described it as, "…an interesting view into a band that continues to evolve without really throwing down any breadcrumbs for them or us to follow."
Friend and Foe
Menomena released their third album (and first via Barsuk Records) on January 23, 2007. As with their first two releases, Friend and FoeFriend and Foe
Friend and Foe is the third release from the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena. It was released January 23, 2007 by Barsuk Records. The cover art is designed by Craig Thompson, writer and illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel Blankets....
was entirely produced, recorded, and mixed by the band. It received relative critical acclaim—while some websites such as Lost at Sea praised the album for its offbeat rhythmic structure and creative use of melody, others such as PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
criticized it for presenting a sense of feigned maturity. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.5/10 and again placed it in the "Best New Music" section, calling it, "…The first great indie rock record of the new year."
To celebrate the release of the album, Harris assembled a 25-member choir and taught them the various vocal layers of the new material with the help of his mother Diane, a trained opera singer. The choir was made up of other Portland-based bands and artists, including The Helio Sequence
The Helio Sequence
The Helio Sequence is an American alternative rock band. They are a duo from Beaverton, OR, a suburb of Portland, OR signed to label Sub Pop. Their music environments are optimistic and uplifting with a dash of psychedelic...
, 31Knots
31Knots
31Knots is a band based in Portland, Oregon by guitarist Joe Haege and bassist Jay Winebrenner. It was originally founded in Chicago in 1997. In 1998 the band added Joe Kelly as a drummer; in 2003 he left and was replaced by Jay Pellicci of Dilute...
, Nick Jaina, Pseudosix, Dat'r
Dat'r
Dat'r is an Electronic music band consisting of Matt Dabrowiak and Paul Alcott, from Portland, Oregon.-History:Dat'r was originally formed as a side project of the Portland-based Rock band Binary Dolls...
, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Corrina Repp
Corrina Repp
Corrina Repp is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and maker of quiet music based in Portland, Oregon. Her albums I Take On Your Days and It's Only the Future were released on Hush Records, while The Absent and the Distant was released on Mark Kozelek's personal label Caldo Verde...
, Ms. Murgatroid, prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, and several other of Harris' close friends. The Friend and Foe CD release show was held at Portland's Crystal Ballroom
Crystal Ballroom (Portland, Oregon)
Crystal Ballroom, originally built as Cotillion Hall, is a historic building in Portland, Oregon, United States. Cotillion Hall was built in 1914 as a ballroom, and dance revivals were held there through the Great Depression...
on January 28, 2007.
The CD and LP (the latter was released in August 2007 by FILMguerrero) features an intricate packaging layout consisting of Die
Die (manufacturing)
A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material using a press. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create...
-cut shapes, decoder rings, and hidden messages. It was designed by Knopf and illustrated by cult graphic novelist/cartoonist Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson
Craig Matthew Thompson is a graphic novelist best known for his books Good-Bye, Chunky Rice , Blankets , Carnet de Voyage and Habibi . Thompson has received four Harvey Awards, two Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards...
, of Blankets
Blankets (graphic novel)
Blankets is an autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, published in 2003 by Top Shelf Productions. As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood...
fame. Thompson's artwork for Friend and Foe was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Recording Package."
Mines
Danny Seim stated in an October 2008 interview that a new Menomena album was tentatively expected to debut in the beginning of 2009. "In a perfect world, we would have been done with a new record. Fall ’08 would have been great. But then that’s moved to January ’09 … we hadn’t seen one another in awhile and we’re seeing each other for some European dates, and a festival date here and there. We’re moving on a U2 time frame. ...We have a ton of material to use and we have to structure the stuff, pick up instruments and find songs. I’d love to say January ’09 but maybe I just like the way those words sound."Menomena spent most of 2009 in and out of the studio. A collection of pictures from these sessions were posted on their official myspace, although no comments were made about the album's progress. In December, Pitchfork posted a video of Menomena playing a brand new track, "Queen Black Acid", in a hotel room, and in January Menomena stated, "We're finishing our new album in two weeks..." via twitter.
It was confirmed by Pitchfork on April 7, 2010, that Menomena's fourth full length album, Mines
Mines (album)
* The vinyl version of the album contains a hidden track known as "Side D" or "Bomb Me Back", while the iTunes store offered a bonus track called "The Insulation"....
, would be released on July 26 in Europe via City Slang and July 27 in North America via Barsuk. A 7-inch split with The Helio Sequence would also be released on Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
, with Menomena contributing the new track "Pilgrim's Progress".
Brent's Departure
On January 7, 2011 it was confirmed by Pitchfork that Brent Knopf had left the group to focus on his other musical project Ramona FallsRamona Falls (band)
Ramona Falls is an indie rock project founded by Brent Knopf and based in Portland, Oregon. Brent Knopf was also one-third of the band Menomena.-History:The project took shape after Menomena's recording process for their third album was delayed...
. Knopf will be replaced by Paul Alcott for Menomena's upcoming tour dates. Both Knopf and Danny Seim addressed the matter in an interview posted on the Portland-based Local Cut blog two weeks later. Seim mentioned that he and Justin Harris will continue to make music as Menomena, stating, "We lost a major creative force in Brent, but thankfully, Brent’s not Kurt Cobain, and we’re not Nirvana. Brent’s more like Peter Gabriel and we’re more like Genesis. And everyone knows how much better Genesis got after that talentless hack Gabriel quit. Waitaminute…"
Live performance
In a performance setting, Menomena attempts to replicate the often dense instrumentation found on their recordings without the use of backing tracks.Throughout the course of a typical concert, Knopf plays keyboards, electric guitar(s), and glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, while triggering various MIDI samples with his laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
; Harris plays electric guitar(s), baritone guitar
Baritone guitar
The baritone guitar is a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. It first appeared in the classical music realm...
, electric bass, Moog Taurus
Moog Taurus
The Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:...
foot synthesizer (or a Roland
Roland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
Pk-5 when touring Europe), baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, and alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
; Seim plays drums and other percussion. All three members contribute vocal harmonies and sing lead on different songs.
In 2007 they did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
. Later on that year, Craig Thompson appeared on stage with Menomena at several concerts over the course of a European tour. Throughout these performances, Thompson painted along with the music using a brush and ink on a large sheet of butcher paper. At the end of each show, the pieces were ripped into shreds and thrown into the audience.
Menomena added multi-instrumentalist Joe Haege of 31Knots
31Knots
31Knots is a band based in Portland, Oregon by guitarist Joe Haege and bassist Jay Winebrenner. It was originally founded in Chicago in 1997. In 1998 the band added Joe Kelly as a drummer; in 2003 he left and was replaced by Jay Pellicci of Dilute...
as a touring member in 2010. On August 9, the band made their national television debut as a four-piece with Haege on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
.
Creative process
The band's songwriting process involves a computer programComputer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
called the Digital Looping Recorder, or Deeler for short. It was programmed by Knopf using the language Max
Max (software)
Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. During its 20-year history, it has been widely used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers, and artists for creating innovative recordings,...
. Seim explains the process: "First, we set the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of the click, which is played through a pair of headphones
Headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
. We then take turns passing a single mic around the room. One of us will hold the mic in front of an instrument, while another one of us will lay down a short improvised riff over the click track. We usually start with the drums. Once the drums begin looping
Looping
Looping may refer to:Media and entertainment*Loop , a repeating section of sound material*Audio induction loop, an aid for the hard of hearing...
, we throw on some bass, piano, guitar, bells, sax, or whatever other sort of noisemaker happens to be in the room. Deeler keeps the process democratic, which is the only way we can operate."
The use of Deeler as a compositional tool was discussed extensively by the band in an interview published in the May/June 2005 issue (#47) of Tape Op
Tape Op
Tape Op is a recording magazine that focuses on creative recording techniques. Subtitled, "The Creative Music Recording Magazine," It is free to subscribers in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as offering paid subscriptions to the United States of America, all of Europe, Canada,...
magazine.
Menomena is a band with no primary songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and their albums develop through a slow exchange of song ideas - usually via email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
. "I'm not aware of a single instance when we were together [recording]," said Brent Knopf of the album Mines
Mines (album)
* The vinyl version of the album contains a hidden track known as "Side D" or "Bomb Me Back", while the iTunes store offered a bonus track called "The Insulation"....
. The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
described this as a "painstaking cut-and-paste method of song assembly ... as each member contributes, then vanishes, only to return later to add more."
Official music videos
- "Trigga Hiccups" (dir. E*rock, 2004)
- "Cough Coughing" (dir. Jonnie Ross, 2005)
- "Wet and Rusting" (dir. Lance BangsLance BangsLance Bangs is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and music video director who has created videos for Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Green Day, the Arcade Fire, the Shins, The Thermals, Belle & Sebastian, Menomena, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, R.E.M., Mike Watt, Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Kanye West, and...
, 2007) - "Rotten Hell" (dir. War&Julius] 2007)
- "Evil Bee" (dir. Stefan NadelmanStefan Nadelman- Career :Nadelman's first short film, Latin Alive , a colorful, Schoolhouse Rock-like sing-a-long created in Macromedia Flash, was submitted to only one festival, Resfest 2000, where it premiered and subsequently garnered a spot on the Best of Resfest Vol...
, 2007)
Grammy awards and nominations
|-| || "Friend and Foe
Friend and Foe
Friend and Foe is the third release from the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena. It was released January 23, 2007 by Barsuk Records. The cover art is designed by Craig Thompson, writer and illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel Blankets....
" || Best Recording Package ||
Full-length recordings
- I Am the Fun Blame Monster!I Am the Fun Blame Monster!I Am the Fun Blame Monster! is the debut album of the band Menomena. It was self-released on May 20, 2003 and made available exclusively through online retailer CD Baby. The CD was re-released by FILMguerrero in 2004, and then again by Barsuk/FILMguerrero in 2007...
CD/LP (self-released, 2003; re-released FILMguerrero, 2004) - Under an HourUnder An HourUnder an Hour is the second full-length album from Portland-based experimental pop/rock group Menomena. The album was originally composed and performed as accompaniment for a performance by Portland dance company Monster Squad...
CD (FILMguerrero, 2005) - Friend and FoeFriend and FoeFriend and Foe is the third release from the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena. It was released January 23, 2007 by Barsuk Records. The cover art is designed by Craig Thompson, writer and illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel Blankets....
CD/LP (Barsuk/FILMguerrero, 2007) - MinesMines (album)* The vinyl version of the album contains a hidden track known as "Side D" or "Bomb Me Back", while the iTunes store offered a bonus track called "The Insulation"....
CD/LP (Barsuk, 2010)
EPs
- Rose EPRose EP-Track listing:#"Rose"#"Nebali"#"The Ladder"#"Trigger Hiccups"#"Posh Isolation"...
(self-released, February 2001) - Scissors and Blue split EP w/ Societa Anonima (Velvet Blue MusicVelvet Blue MusicVelvet Blue Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by Jeff Cloud . They are a label that has prided itself on a completely independent nature and DIY ethics while also living up to these same qualities...
/ Cut & Paste Collective, 2001) - Wet and RustingWet and RustingWet and Rusting is an EP by Menomena, featuring the first single from the full length Friend and Foe, along with two alternate versions of "Wet and Rusting" and 3 other unreleased tracks. The EP was released on FILMguerrero and contains artwork by cult comic illustrator Craig Thompson in a...
(FILMguerrero, 2006)
7" singles
- Posh Isolation / Tung Track 7" (Polyvinyl Record Co.Polyvinyl Record Co.Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
, 2005) - Wet and Rusting / Gay A 7" (City Slang, 2007)
- Heliomena "Pilgrim's Progress" (split 7" with The Helio Sequence) (2010)
External links
- Unofficial Fan Site
- Menomena at neformat.com.ua
- Barsuk Website
- FILMguerrero Website
- Velvet Blue Music Website
- Menomena on Virb
- Interview with Brent Knopf of Menomena
- Pitchfork Guest List by Danny Seim
- Artist's Perspective, a monthly column written by Danny Seim
- Early "interview" in Menomena's career
- [ftp://ftp.barsuk.com/menomena/Menomena_DEELER.pdf Extensive Recording/Deeler Discussion in Tape Op Interview]
- Menomena Guest List at Discollective
- Interview from Hate Something Beautiful
- Interview on Brightest Young Things
- Italian Interview on ML, March 2007
- Interview on Radio Nowhere Ola's Kool Kitchen http://www.archive.org/details/OlasKoolKitchenOnRadioNowhereWithSweetRecipeOfTheWeekMenomena