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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Try and stop us now!", January 10, 2005
This little Fun-Blame Monster sure came outta nowhere, didn't it? I mean, we have pitchfork throwing up a "featured review" one moment, followed by a chorus of indie kids and online mags screaming "hell ya!" and then it's forgotten in time for the year-end best-of lists... It came and went so fast that I'd mostly forgotten about it until I randomly came upon a used copy at the local record shop. The crude dragon drawing on the front insisted that I give it a sample listen, and, rolling my eyes, I grudgingly obliged. Now about this local record store, I have to give them credit that they even have listening stations for the used c.d.s. Still, they make it pretty clear that they don't want you there too long by making it very uncomfortable- you stand in a little booth with nothing to lean on or sit on. I wasn't planning on being there too long- only 30 secs a song, 9 songs, a quick little five minutes, right? I pressed play...and stood there for the whole 45 minute runtime. Man, it blew me away.
The first thing that sucks you in is the drumming. It pummels you with complex, danceable, near-hip-hop beats- not unlike those from the Flaming Lips Soft Bulletin. And then, the melodies come in, weave a tapestry in your head, and keep you eagerly anticipating each new moment. Piano, Saxophone, Keyboards and bass flow together in most unexpected and blissful ways. I can't remember when I last heard such bewilderingly ornate melodies- those perfect tunes that never repeat a single time more than they have to, and that reward every time you listen but are never to obtuse to leave your head.
Each song exemplifies an unique approach, but it's a wonderfully sequenced album with many of the pieces flowing into each other. Really, the only weak link are the lyrics, which are pleasant but certainly not standout. But this is POP music of the highest order. The whole stands together as an ode to the clarity that comes out of loneliness- those 4 am moments when you stare out your window, perfectly content to be perfectly alone.
Yup, it was "left-field" alright, so left-field it seems it's already been forgotten. That's a real shame- this is, without a doubt, one of the most brilliant pop records in recent years. Grab it while you can.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Menomena's First Album, October 11, 2005
First of all, "I Am the Fun Blame Monster" is an awesome album title because it is an anagram of "Menomena's First Album"...who does that?! Regardless of their inventive album title, Menomena's sound is also wildly creative. The thought and experimentation that went into this album is incredible and I hope everyone gets to experience the wonder of the monster...plus, the album presentation is something to be proud of and, best of all, fun to play with. I bought the album for my boyfriend and was very tempted to keep it for myself ;)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and original, January 3, 2005
West coast trio Menomena's debut album is very good one. I gotta say that this album grew on me, at first I wasn't that impressed due to the musics subtlty. If you are not paying attention it can slip by you. They sound like a hybrid of Blur's less guitar driven material (especially The Late Great Libido) mixed with later day Radiohead, some Portishead and perhaps a dash of Tori Amos (if she were a guy) all run through an almost hip-hop mentality. But unlike most of those bands, and most pop music made on the planet, Menomena don't follow a verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus structure. Its a structurely more aventurous, looser, yet not unfocused sound that harkens back somewhat to the best days of progressive rock in the '70s. (Think the Canterbury scene of bands like Caravan, Gilgamesh or Camel without the guitars or Robert Wyatt)
Much of I Am The Fun Blame Monster (anagram for Menomena's First Album) is quite beautiful and melodic, other bits are more rhythmic or atmospheric, on ocassion it rocks, and it's oftimes subtley suprising. I like that the body of the songs are played by keyboards, usually piano with electronic punctuations. The guitar, when there is one is mostly used as more of an accent instrument. Perhaps the weakest part about Menomena are the vocals, which are a bit nondescript. But that's a small complaint. Their website is hard to navigate (you'll see why if you go there) but contains a lot of information such as to how they used proprietary computer software to aid in the writing of their songs. Not the playing, but the composing. They would record various bits of jams/improvs, reassemble them in the computer and then learn and play the new arrangements live. Very interesting. This band has the potential to be a great one.
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