Menomena

When I heard Portland's own Menomena was doing an in-store appearance this evening to celebrate the release of their much anticipated new album Mines I was pretty excited. It didn't seem to be real widely publicized, so I thought the timing would be perfect. I'd leave work just after 5pm and cruise over to Music Millennium to catch their 6pm abbreviated set where they'd play for the first time live a handful of songs from the new album. As a newbie to the in-store world I didn't realize you could get advanced tickets for entry by pre-purchasing the album the day before. As a result, I went to the back of a really long line and waited with hope that there would be room for me to squeeze in. Thankfully it was worth the wait and I did get in. For those who have never been to this particular location, it is not a lot different than your typical record store; tight aisles probably not wide enough for two people to stand side by side with merchandise crammed in wherever it will fit. A great place to browse on an average day, but less than ideal for a mini concert. The bad news is that from my particular vantage point I could see a drum and an occasional foot. The good news is that it was well worth the wait. From what I heard so far, I believe this was the beginning of my love affair with another solid album from a phenomenal band. They blasted through four tracks from the new record: Queen Black Acid, Killemall, Five Little Rooms and TAOS. From where I was standing, I had a great view of the crowd, particularly the ones who were in the know and got the advance tickets for better positioning. QBA and Killemall were great, but when they started in on Five Little Rooms with an intro showcasing their signature bari sax, I looked around the room and saw many smiles and heads nodding in approval with the beat. I captured the set on my phone for those interested and Five Little Rooms is featured here. You'd be better served to pick up the album yourself due to the very limited sound quality of the audio, but this gives a little taste. Unfortunately the video is less than thrilling, but I'll know better next time.

After the set, I purchased Mines on vinyl and I haven't had a chance to listen to the remainder of the songs yet. Friend and Foe was a tough act to follow, but I've got a very good feeling about this one. This was my first glimpse of the band that day. I think the dude at the counter was saying, "Shit, I'll never be as cool as these guys, so I guess I won't even try." Much like my prediction that Brothers was going to catapult The Black Keys into the national spotlight this year, I think Menomena is also on the verge. You can be sure that a full review will be forthcoming.