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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Menomena's First Album, 30 Aug 2004
I am The Fun Blame Monster is an anagram of The First Menomena Album and was released independently by the band last year. It has taken a while for a major label to pick up on Menomena's inventive and distinctive style.The band wrote their own computer software to program their drum loops and sequences of their songs. Once they completed a song on the computer they then learnt to play it live before recording it for the album. Despite their indie sound and instrumentation, the use of computers gives the music a very perfect feel, similar to dance music. This may be attributed to the thumping and complex drum patterns they use. Every song, whether upbeat, energetic, down-tempo or just plain thrashy has a soaring beat that never overtakes the songs complex layering of melodies, but propels it ever onward. The melodies taken on their own are often quite simple, but the sheer volume of them and the way in which they are structured in the song makes for wonderful listening. Also, the songs never follow a formula of verse-chorus-verse-chorus. Instead, the songs build, scattering choruses around extended or shortened verses and dropping bridges, or sax solos in at point at which you least expect them. It becomes quite complex trying to explain Menomena's music; it really must be heard to be understood fully. They are a band whose experimentation with, traditionally dance-music-based, technology has given them a unique sound quite unlike anything else I've heard. Yes, you could pluck influences from various places, German band Can would be one, but they have shaped these influences into an album that is hugely enjoyable, beautiful and complex that will stand up to repeated listens for many years to come. They are a talent to look out for and I can't wait to hear their sophomore effort.
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