Menomena - Under an Hour

Today I was sitting in a fine Portland coffee shop, intent upon accomplishing a long list of assignments. I couldn’t help but notice all three members of Menomena stroll through the door and gaze up at the menu. I don’t normally do this, but I hailed them over to my table in the corner of the room. We exchanged some small talk, and I asked them about their recent performance during a dance sequence in Portland’s T:BA:04 (time-based art) event. They proceeded to explain it to me in a long conversation, revolving around three topics - “Water”, “Flour”, and “Light”.

Menomena started talking buoyantly and unexpectedly - they were using words I haven’t heard them use before. The first five minutes of our conversation about “Water” was very soothing yet climactic, with a variety of gestures and facial contortions. They didn’t ever stray from the topic of conversation - it would have been quite repetitive if it weren’t for their various modes of communication. The conversation strayed finally after about seven and a half minutes, yet fluctuations remained in the same soft consistency. When the conversation reached its climax, my mind floated along notes of stringed instruments and trailing piano. Then it slowed to an eerie but calming pace. Our discussion ended very abruptly but effectively. We all enjoyed this sinuous discussion; we LOLed all over the place.

Menomena started into another discussion about “Flour” using very familiar voices, recalling to mind barking horns and tiptoeing keys, which then roll into boisterous movements with loud gestures and symbols/cymbals. Yes, this is the Menomena I know. This topic continued with little deviation for quite awhile, and my mind began to wander. While they were talking, I realized “OMG! They are essentially saying the same thing over and over again, just in slightly varying ways.” By the time we were done talking about “Flour”, I was glad to move onto a new topic although I had enjoyed their overall presentation.

The last discussion we had together revolved around the subject of “Light”, which I did not realize right away since it began on an airy, brooding drone. WTH? The awkward breathy-talk gave way to progressive chatter, for which I was thankful. But we shifted again into something different… their drawl was rhythmic and drowsy. I was getting tired of this disjointed conversation, which ended in a mumbling digression.

As always, Menomena surprised me with their delivery. They were thoughtful about each movement, word, and overall presentation. With this in mind, I recognize that the awkward gaps in our conversation were placed there intentionally… but that still doesn’t appease the fact that those gaps were slightly uncomfortable. Menomena did well to reflect the current trend in culture of utilizing scarcity - both in appearance and in sound. The saying about there being a lull in conversation every seven minutes must be true. As Menomena shouted “TTYL!” and left the coffee shop, I turned to my lingering schoolwork and decided I’d give their recent album, Under an Hour, a listen.

Under an Hour, Menomena: B

Sam Albertson thanks his friends Andy Pullen, Aaron Walker, and Michael Irvine for their Menomena contributions. Sam looks forward to the next release. Sam speaks in third person.

Posted on February 15, 2006 12:00 AM