This is precisely why I’ve always been tempted to move to Boston: this week I’ll be able to see LCD Soundsytem/Sleigh Bells, Ra Ra Riot, Menomena/Suckers and (with any luck) Lost in the Trees. And I won’t have to set foot in a car once – let alone drive out of state – to do it.
LCD Soundsystem is sure to be a blast (check back tomorrow for a recap), but it’s probably Menomena I’m most excited about. I don’t normally buy in to the P4K hype machine, but credit where it’s due – in the fall of ’03, they turned me on to I Am the Fun Blame Monster, its crazy-good lead track (“Cough Coughing,” still my favorite Menomena jam – video below for old time’s sake) and crazy hand-crafted 80-page flip-book packaging. I mail-ordered a copy from the band that morning, and my love for this hyper-creative Portland, Ore. trio hasn’t waned since.
The short version of the Menomena bio: the band meticulously creates songs in the studio using a self-designed program called Deeler, trading instruments and vocal duties while building, deconstructing and reassembling layer upon layer of loops into expansive, hooky compositions. After the fact, they worry about how those songs translate to a live setting. Theirs is about as distinct of a sound as you’ll find in indie rock. I couldn’t be more excited to finally see these guys live. Tickets are still available for their show at Royale on Thursday. Suckers and Tu Fawning open – check out Bowery/Boston for details. For my CT peeps – the same bill hits Daniel Street in Milford on Sunday.
Menomena’s new album, Mines, is out now on Barsuk. Download album track TAOS here…
FiTi MP3 > Menomena // TAOS
If that’s not enough, here’s a little video evidence to get you ready…
Photo by Alicia J. Rose, courtesy of Barsuk.