MENOMENA
Friend and Foe
Barsuk
· Indie rock is alive and well.
Each year that passes brings along the idea that indie rock as we knew it is gone. Out-of-the-blue comes someone like Menomena (much like Wolf Parade, Tapes ’n’ Tapes, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah did last year) to not only erase that notion, but in the process forward things a little bit, too.
Combining de rigeur rough-hewn guitar edges with slight electronic flourishes, the songs on Friend and Foe hit unexpected heights time and again. Opener "Muscle ’n’ Flo" builds from an auspicious bass and voice beginning into a strikingly cohesive epic in miniature. "The Pelican" holds surprise backing choral oohs that throw the song’s focus from tuneless yelling to surprising pop majesty. "Boyscout’n" gets playful with group whistling, jingle bells and drumrolls. Throughout, Menomena jumps through more stylistic hoops than some bands manage in their entire discography. It’s particularly grand how well the album’s elegiac piano runs fit – a feat few others could pull off so seamlessly.
Friend or Foe is the type of indie rock record that should be huge and given the hypnotic thrills it holds, there’s very little standing in the way of that happening.
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