It’s hard to think of Menomena topping Friend And Foe. After all, that album made #3 on my Retrospective Top Albums of 2007. But they make a fair attempt with Mines. There’s plenty of solidity here, from opener “Queen Black Acid” to the final track, “Intil”. I guess only time will tell.

Perhaps the most distinct change between Friend and Mines can be found in the percussion, to the point where you’d almost think they made a Spinal Tap like switch — they did not. On Friend, the drumming was monumental, enormous, gigantic. Here, it’s refined and restrained, and occasionally double-timed. The skill, too has increased significantly — so it’s no wonder it sounds like a whole new creature on the sticks.

From the dark, dreamy opening track, Menomena launches into “Taos” which holds a bit more relation to their prior library of work. Loud and occasionally abrasive, it has that heavy, bold in-your-face sound familiar to songs like “Pelican” and “Boyscout’n”. Then they return to the brooding piano sounds and skilled percussion in “Killemall”.

Still, a lot remains the same. Mines follows the same path as before; Menomena still produces a wildly original blend of rock, favoring plays on volume, meshing unique instruments for sounds you simply will not hear anywhere else. This is perhaps heard best on “Dirty Cartoons”, where minimalist rock is given a fresh face and Menomena dabbles in choral vocals (yet again). Then percussion takes over in the breathtaking beginning of “Tithe”. And baritone saxophone, a Menomena signature, returns in full force early in “Five Little Rooms”. Not to mention the immense greatness of closing track “Intil”.

There is great potential for Mines to overtake its predecessor as being a better album, although it will likely take time. It will be difficult to top songs like “Rotten Hell”, “The Pelican” and “Muscle ‘N Flo”, but with power tracks like “Queen Black Acid”, “Five Little Rooms” and “Intil”, there’s a good chance it might. Menomena has never been an easy pill to swallow; their albums have always been growers often taking two to three listens to see beyond minor oddities, to see the vast greatness this band possesses. Mines again places Menomena on a pedestal, high above mediocrity, high above the commonplace, on a spire all its own.

Download: “Five Little Rooms” by Menomena

Download: “TAOS” by Menomena

Barsuk Records [CD, 2010]

1. Queen Black Acid
2. Taos
3. Killemall
4. Dirty Cartoons
5. Tithe
6. BOTE
7. Lunchmeat
8. Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such A Big Boy
9. Five Little Rooms
10. Sleeping Beauty
11. Intil

Rocky Votolato has that voice; the voice that can haunt your dreams, but at the same time bring so much joy to your heart that it runs risk of imploding. He has been known to bring his original southern spirit and intermingle it with the Elliot Smith-like aura of the Northwest indie folk scene. This notable wordsmith’s latest LP, True Devotion, contains one of his finest tracks to date: “Red River”. While sounding like a punk rock vocalist caught in an emotional drunken stupor (a possible nod to brother Cody of Jaguar Love / The Blood Brothers), our folk rock hero tells a wonderful tale of search and denial, a dire need for the stare and swagger of a true and absolute answer to the meaning of life. This song is a beautiful portrayal of the confusion that is beset in the minds of everyone who has ever taken the time to contemplate our “need to know” on the topics life, death, and the lovely tragedies that occur in between. Long time fans should expect nothing less than excellence, but for those just tuning in, welcome to the earth shattering display of realism that is a Rocky Votolato song.

True Devotion was released late last month on Barsuk Records

Download: “Red River” by Rocky Votolato

I first saw The Long Winters live at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle at the end of July, 2004. Along with IQU, they stood out as the event’s best performers. The second time was in Pullman this past spring [2006] for the university’s annual Spring Fest. And again, they left the other performers behind to become the main attraction of the day. Standing at what appears to be well over six feet tall, front-man John Roderick has a stage presence that is outstanding. I recall hearing “Pushover” and the quick, punchy chords of “Fire Island, AK”. I remember “Sky Is Open” being a favorite, and possibly even “Rich Wife” and “Ultimatum”.

At first, I saw little difference between Putting the Days to Bed and When I Pretend to Fall. Despite the similarities in the way each song is crafted, this album is much more accessible and a tad more mainstream then their sophomore album, and the gap is even wider between this album and their debut, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm. Roderick continues to have sometimes overtly humorous and overly catchy rhyme schemes. It’s a characteristic apparent in The Long Winters’ prior albums – just listen to “Cinnamon” and the repetition of “Her Lips are Cinnamon” and you’ll understand. Still, as with their previous album, these aspects do not detract from the quality of The Long Winters’ creations.

This album deserves to be big – in the sense of Transatlanticism and Chutes Too Narrow. Putting the Days to Bed is an album that should have lead The Long Winters into the transformation from independent to mainstream music. While we didn’t quite see it happen in 2006 upon the album’s release, it’s pretty clear that if The Long Winters keep this sort of progression up, they’re gonna be huge!

This review was originally published August 7, 2006 on the old version of FensePost.

The Long Winters: Pushover [mp3]

Barsuk Records [CD, 2006]

1. Pushover
2. Fire Island, AK
3. Teaspoon
4. Hindsight
5. Sky Is Open
6. Honest
7. Clouds
8. Rich Wife
9. Ultimatum
10. (It’s A) Departure
11. Seven

Erich said, You gotta check out this band; you gotta review their EP. End paraphrase. Having recently noted the band’s signing to Barsuk, it seemed the logical next step. In anticipation of that future record, slated for an early 2010 release, it just made sense. Besides, there’s substantial overlap between the self-titled EP and the pending full-length, Eyelid Movies. Of the five tracks on the EP, four find their way onto that album of eleven total songs. I’m here to say that the EP is still totally worth it.

This duo, consisting of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, are masters of dark, hypnotic beats. Bordering trip-hop, and plentiful with mystic synths, there is no weak point on this EP. Phantogram dishes out one mesmerizing hit after another. “When I’m Small” borders on hypnotic shoegaze, while “Bloody Palms” hints at a hip-hop influence before reverting back to swirling, dreamy synth loops. “Running From The Cops” drops in an eerie vocal pattern, and opener “Mouthful Of Diamonds” is just plain excellent. And then there’s “Voices”, the sole track not on the forthcoming 2010 release. It’s a bit more upbeat than its predecessors, but it holds its weight; a more than viable b-side.

Phantogram may ultimately be overshadowed by the upcoming Eyelid Movies – after all, dropping your debut LP on Barsuk is nothing to scoff at – but it is a great introduction to a band that holds expectations high, and promises more good things. Thankfully we only have to wait until February for them to arrive.

Phantogram: When I’m Small [mp3]

CE Records [CDEP, 2009]

1. Mouthful Of Diamonds
2. Running From The Cops
3. When I’m Small
4. Bloody Palms
5. Voices

New York’s Phantogram — that’s Saratoga Springs, NY, not NYC — has signed to Barsuk Records and will release Eyelid Movies in February of 2010. Phantogram’s music is filled with synth lines fit for shoegaze, electronic beats that hint of a hip hop influence, and lovable pop vocals.

Songs like “Mouthful Of Diamonds” find a place somewhere between Ratatat (the two groups both hail from SS, NY) with vocals and M83 on downers. “Running From The Cops” has vocals you could almost call eerie. “When I’m Small” returns to the pop vocals, but digs in with trip-hop beats. Phantogram is definitely a band to keep an eye on; Eyelid Movies is already becoming one of 2010′s most anticipated albums!

Phantogram: When I’m Small [mp3]