Ramona Falls – Prophet April 26, 2012
Posted by gwyoung in Album Reviews, Music.Tags: experimental, menomena, ramona falls, rock
2 comments
Artist: Ramona Falls
Album: Prophet
Release: Barsuk, 2012
Genre: Rock
RIYD: Menomena, St. Vincent
Though Brent Knopf recently split off from the Menomena trio to focus more on his solo work as Ramona Falls (a tragedy akin to the dissolution of The Books), it seems from his sophomore effort that he’s moving in parallel to his former band. Ramona Falls’ debut in 2009, Intuit, found him and his collaborators constructing twinkling, looping pop melodies akin to those on Menomena’s Friend And Foe from 2007. Now, just as Menomena shed their cuteness in favor of a darker, grittier, more rock & roll sound on 2010’s Mines, Ramona Falls follows in step with the release of Prophet.
This is no big surprise, however, as tracks like “I Say Fever” foreshadowed this change in sound, and the difference is that now they’re the norm instead of the deviation. Keeping the same loop-based approach (and likely with the help of Knopf’s “Deeler” invention), the band is still making mildly psychedelic experimental rock, but the sample material is changing. Instead of the whimsical and lighthearted bells and whistles, Knopf more often uses heavy guitar power chords and drum hits. This is especially evident on tracks like “Sqworm” and “Brevony”, which push the thrashing of Menomena hits like “TAOS” and “BOTE” to the next level.
This is not to say that Ramona Falls abandon their softer side completely. The gentle folk feel of “Proof” rivals the beauty of Intuit-closer “Diamond Shovel”, while the twinkling embellishments and orchestral arrangements on opener “Bodies Of Water”, lead single “Spore”, and “If i equals u” gleam with the same charm as the best of Knopf’s work. Prophet also shows off some of the new tricks that Ramona Falls have up their sleeves in “Archimedes Plutonium” and closer “Helium”, including some catchy, jangle-pop riffs and elegant strings thrown into some unexpected compositions.
While it is a shame that Knopf split off from his main band (as his presence will surely be missed on their releases to come), Menomena fans can at least temporarily rejoice in the fact that Ramona Falls is delivering the same goods and following in the same evolution of sound. Prophet excels in the same way that Mines did back in 2010, and it’s exciting to think of all the great music that will come from the future of both bands.
Menomena – Mines May 30, 2010
Posted by gwyoung in Album Reviews, Music.Tags: menomena, rock
2 comments
Artist: Menomena
Album: Mines
Release: Barsuk, 2010
Genre: Rock
RIYD: Music, life, happiness
I’m going to make this review short, not just because my past few album reviews have been rather lengthy and exhausting to write, but because the goal here is different from the usual: instead of going into depth about the whos, whats, whys, and hows of the album, I want to convince you to give a listen to Menomena’s newest masterpiece, Mines, in as few words as possible.
I feel this way because Mines is an instant indie rock classic, comparable to notables like Funeral and Apologies To The Queen Mary, and as such is one of the first essential releases of the new decade. An album like this comes along very rarely: the most recent of its caliber was Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, the album that dominated almost every year-end list of 2009 (and we all know how warm and gushy I felt about that one.) Actually, I’ve noted quite a few similarities between Merriweather and Mines, though more in spirit than in actual sound, that may help to explain why everyone needs to hear the latter (and no, it’s not just because they both share an affinity for gimmicky album art.) Like MPP was for Animal Collective, Mines is an amalgamation of all of Menomena’s various works thus far that combines the classic loop-based rock of their claim to fame, Fun Blame Monster, with hints of the lengthy jams of Under An Hour and the more cutesy Friend And Foe as well as a whole slew of twists and turns that explore entirely new territory. Also like Merriweather, this album shows that elusive mastery of a sound that usually takes several releases to accomplish; a sound that combines the fun of sonic experimentation with catchy and accessible pop sensibility but still retains that unique essence that is inherently Menomena. No other band could have made this, and, though many may try to imitate it, no other band ever will again. Mines stands alone as Menomena’s magnum opus (at least until their next effort, if all goes well) and, now that we’re on the other side of its emergence into this world, it seems like everything thus far has been building up to it.
I guess that wasn’t as short as I had planned, but I hope you’re convinced nonetheless. If not, just listen to the selections below, which include the Good News-era Modest Mouse-influenced opener “Queen Black Acid” and the horn-based lead single “Five Little Rooms”, and you’re sure to be clamoring for more:
safer in the dark 