Menomena

[capt. scotty]

It was actually pretty coincidental. I first heard of and quickly got into Menomena about a year and a half ago. I remember hearing/watching a promo for Moms maybe 6 months ago or so just randomly wondering what they were up to, and low and behold a few weeks back I find out they released their new album couple weeks earlier, Im blown away by it, and theyre playing only a couple hours away on the only night that week I could see them 2 days later. Needless to say, way too perfect to miss out.

Hard to say why MMJ especially skips out on Indy. The proximity to Louisville and larger other midwestern cities probably has something to do with it, but Phish hits up Deer Creek like clockwork and I think at this point MMJ could sell that place pretty well during summer tour.

I haven't heard that venue referred to as Deer Creek for awhile.  Yeah, they played at the lawn at White River State Park during the summer of 2011, but that is the only time I can recall them showing up in Indiana.  At least their hometown is just a 2 hourish drive from my home, so I can easily catch them there occasionally.

I'm am really getting into Moms right now, Pique and Don't Mess With Latexas are great jam songs.  I figure they would sound really great live.

Oh yeah man, I keep it old school. If its at all possible, I avoid/cant stand calling the venues with corporate, basically advertisement names when their history is so much better.

Everything sounded good live, but they kept everything pretty tight. I dont recall much jamming or extending songs noticeably beyond the album version besides One Horse. This was probably the only part of the show that disappointed me, I figured they wouldve taken a few songs out more.

One thing that was really clarified for me was Danny Seim's songs and vocals. I really think to a degree, him, Harris, and Knopf sound similar enough, but seeing them live really contrasted that. I said a couple weeks ago I didnt think he wrote many of their songs and was surprised he wrote 5 off Moms, but in retrospect Im pretty sure he has more songs on Mines and F&F than Knopf, which I didnt think was the case. Now, its clear to me that Harris' songs are all the odd songs on Moms, and Seim's are all the even numbered songs. Listening to Mines and F&F, I feel like I can pretty much identify who wrote/sang the song now as well.

I always knew some of Harris' songs were my real favorites (Muscle, Pelican, QBAcid, TAOS, etc), but after this realization I wouldnt have thought it to be this much. As far as Moms goes, Pique, Plumage, Heavy Is, Skintercourse, and One Horse are likely my 5 favorites. 4 of those are Harris songs.

[exist10z]

Yeah, I would say comparing across time and albums the voices are similar enough that they could play any of them live, which is what disappointed me with a few of those they didn't play (Wet), but they have enough that it didn't bum me out when I saw them live.

On the voice note, does anyone else notice how similar (one or both of them) some songs sound to Damon Albarn?  It's almost as if on a few of the songs they are purposely trying for that voice/inflection.  I don't mind it in the least, as I love everything Albarn has done.  When I hear some of the songs from Moms I think, 'that sounds like a song off the next album Blur would release'. Especially the style progression I would imagine from the last Blur album (Think Tank - which is amazing), through Gorillaz, to what would be a new Blur album.  I just imagine it would sound something like a couple of the songs on Moms.  Maybe it's just me...

[exist10z]

If you're in the middle of the country, Menomena just added dates to their tour for February and March following their European leg.  See them if you can...

[EverythingChanges]

If you're in the middle of the country, Menomena just added dates to their tour for February and March following their European leg.  See them if you can...

Beautiful! Thanks for the heads up!

This will be a gift from my girlfriend for Christmas!   

[exist10z]

If you're in the middle of the country, Menomena just added dates to their tour for February and March following their European leg.  See them if you can...

Beautiful! Thanks for the heads up!

This will be a gift from my girlfriend for Christmas!   

Yeah, I thought I remembered you being in flyover country.  It looks like they're playing Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Colorado, plus maybe a couple I can't remember.  Enjoy...

[EverythingChanges]

If you're in the middle of the country, Menomena just added dates to their tour for February and March following their European leg.  See them if you can...

Beautiful! Thanks for the heads up!

This will be a gift from my girlfriend for Christmas!   

Yeah, I thought I remembered you being in flyover country.  It looks like they're playing Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Colorado, plus maybe a couple I can't remember.  Enjoy...

Will do! The tickets are ridiculously affordable.  About $15 I think.  That is the beauty of clubs and bars.

[Ob1jacobe]

Yeah, I would say comparing across time and albums the voices are similar enough that they could play any of them live, which is what disappointed me with a few of those they didn't play (Wet), but they have enough that it didn't bum me out when I saw them live.

On the voice note, does anyone else notice how similar (one or both of them) some songs sound to Damon Albarn?  It's almost as if on a few of the songs they are purposely trying for that voice/inflection.  I don't mind it in the least, as I love everything Albarn has done.  When I hear some of the songs from Moms I think, 'that sounds like a song off the next album Blur would release'. Especially the style progression I would imagine from the last Blur album (Think Tank - which is amazing), through Gorillaz, to what would be a new Blur album.  I just imagine it would sound something like a couple of the songs on Moms.  Maybe it's just me...

Man,  as i posted earlier i am spending a lot of time on Blur.  I have been Gorillaz fan and just recently fallen in love with Blur.  I could not agree more about this comment.  In fact I had to dig through the forum to find how said it :)

[exist10z]

Yeah, I would say comparing across time and albums the voices are similar enough that they could play any of them live, which is what disappointed me with a few of those they didn't play (Wet), but they have enough that it didn't bum me out when I saw them live.

On the voice note, does anyone else notice how similar (one or both of them) some songs sound to Damon Albarn?  It's almost as if on a few of the songs they are purposely trying for that voice/inflection.  I don't mind it in the least, as I love everything Albarn has done.  When I hear some of the songs from Moms I think, 'that sounds like a song off the next album Blur would release'. Especially the style progression I would imagine from the last Blur album (Think Tank - which is amazing), through Gorillaz, to what would be a new Blur album.  I just imagine it would sound something like a couple of the songs on Moms.  Maybe it's just me...

Man,  as i posted earlier i am spending a lot of time on Blur.  I have been Gorillaz fan and just recently fallen in love with Blur.  I could not agree more about this comment.  In fact I had to dig through the forum to find how said it :)

I've been listening to Blur forever, well as long as they've been around, I am old enough to have been around for the early 'Manchester' wave in the late 80s and early 90s, and loved 'There's No Other Way'.  I kinda went Oasis after that and lost Blur for about 10 years.  But then my buddy turned me on to Think Tank, and I was right back on board (having by then dismissed Oasis pretty much).  Went back to all the stuff I missed in between.  Of course then I was on for all of Gorillaz, all of it seeming fresh and amazing.  Then Albarn's 'super-group' venture The Good The Bad and The Queen, which was also good. I think Albarn is pretty much a musical genius, as overused and cliche as that is, and look forward to anything he does.

So, not to hijack the Menomena discussion, but just to note that Moms is so great, and that it's high praise from me to say that it sounds like the progression Blur might make if they made another album (and continued on the line from Think Tank thru Gorillaz).  Moms sound original and quirky, in the best possible way, and whether they were going for it or not, sounding like Albarn is never a bad thing to me.

[EverythingChanges]

I just saw these guys plays on Valentine's day.  They fucking killed.  The audience was one of the best I have experienced as well.  The band even commented during the show on it.  They couldn't believe they had never played in Indiana before.  I think they'll be back  .

I met the band as well and shook hands with Justin! Super cool guy. 

If they come near any of you, try to go.  You will not regret it.

2/15 Columbus, OH
2/16 Louisville, KY
2/19 Asheville, NC
2/20 Durham, NC
2/21 Athens, GA
2/22 Birmingham, AL
2/23 Nashville, TN
2/26 St. Louis, MO
2/27 Columbia, MO
2/28 Kansas City, MO
3/01 Denver, CO
3/02 Salt Lake City, UT

[capt. scotty]

I just saw these guys plays on Valentine's day.  They fucking killed.  The audience was one of the best I have experienced as well.  The band even commented during the show on it.  They couldn't believe they had never played in Indiana before.  I think they'll be back  .

I met the band as well and shook hands with Justin! Super cool guy. 

If they come near any of you, try to go.  You will not regret it.

2/15 Columbus, OH
2/16 Louisville, KY
2/19 Asheville, NC
2/20 Durham, NC
2/21 Athens, GA
2/22 Birmingham, AL
2/23 Nashville, TN
2/26 St. Louis, MO
2/27 Columbia, MO
2/28 Kansas City, MO
3/01 Denver, CO
3/02 Salt Lake City, UT

Glad you had a good time man!! Forget until re-reading thru this you got your Indiana show! 

Wish I saw this post earlier today though. Now that Im living in Pittsburgh for the time being, Columbus is only a little over 2 hours away and wouldve been totally do-able. Oh well, cant complain since I got to see them at least once this tour.

[EverythingChanges]

I just saw these guys plays on Valentine's day.  They fucking killed.  The audience was one of the best I have experienced as well.  The band even commented during the show on it.  They couldn't believe they had never played in Indiana before.  I think they'll be back  .

I met the band as well and shook hands with Justin! Super cool guy. 

If they come near any of you, try to go.  You will not regret it.

2/15 Columbus, OH
2/16 Louisville, KY
2/19 Asheville, NC
2/20 Durham, NC
2/21 Athens, GA
2/22 Birmingham, AL
2/23 Nashville, TN
2/26 St. Louis, MO
2/27 Columbia, MO
2/28 Kansas City, MO
3/01 Denver, CO
3/02 Salt Lake City, UT

Glad you had a good time man!! Forget until re-reading thru this you got your Indiana show! 

Wish I saw this post earlier today though. Now that Im living in Pittsburgh for the time being, Columbus is only a little over 2 hours away and wouldve been totally do-able. Oh well, cant complain since I got to see them at least once this tour.

Yeah, my girlfriend wasn't into their music until the show and now she won't stop talking about how awesome it was.  It was definitely a show to remember.  I love this band now more than I already had.

Also, I did not realize Danny was that tall.  The man towers over the rest of the group.

[ms. yvon]

menonmena is touring the US now with helio sequence!  they'll be in san francisco at the great american music hall sept 28, and in los angeles sept 29.

am really excited to see menomena for the first time.  they and HS are pals from portland.  hoping there might be some on stage collaboration. 

you might recognize helio sequence as the band i'm always going on about.  FAB!

[capt. scotty]

menonmena is touring the US now with helio sequence!  they'll be in san francisco at the great american music hall sept 28, and in los angeles sept 29.

am really excited to see menomena for the first time.  they and HS are pals from portland.  hoping there might be some on stage collaboration. 

you might recognize helio sequence as the band i'm always going on about.  FAB!

Saw them last year for the first time and it was great. How did you like em?

Looks like theyll be in Charlotte, Raleigh, and DC a couple weekends from now but those are about the only dates I wont be able to swing. Damnit!

I'll have to check out this band Helio Sequence.

[ms. yvon]

they were terrific!  i saw the first night of the tour and wasn't familiar with their music so i was playing a bit of catch-up.  the second night i was on board from the first note.  they mixed up the set-list from the previous night.  the flow was a bit better.

wish i knew the set list.  there were a few songs i loved.  and helio.  well, they were gorgeous and bad ass.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=the+helio+sequence+downward+spiral&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

[Crispy]

Wow, that's a combo I would love to see...wish they were getting closer to me than Denver on a Thursday.

[EverythingChanges]

This band is seriously one of the best things from the past decade.