Menomena - Mines

Menomena has been out of the scene for a little while now, three years to be exact, since the release of their last album, Friend And Foe. The Portland trio have chosen to follow it up with Mines, their fourth full length due out on July 27. From first listen, Mines is less obvious and not as immediately catchy as Friend And Foe was. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, especially when the warm keys and jangly sleigh bells kick in on opening track, "Queen Black Acid," the spiraling guitars on "Killemall" spin wonderful circles around the listener, and the acoustic brushes and dark lyrics of "Dirty Cartoons" showcase Menomena's lesser known intimate side. Although they seem to be experimenting with a newfound sense of maturity, Menomena haven't abandoned their love of quirky pop entirely, as evidenced by the cymbal splashes and springy guitars on "Taos," the double-time hi-hat taps on "Tithe," and the piano plinks and blaring horns on "Five Little Rooms." Menomena have a fantastic pop sensibility, but the creative direction they have taken on Mines shatters the notion that they're just a pop band. These songs have more life to them beyond infectious chords and hummable melodies. If only every band could grow this much in-between albums.

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Recommended Tracks: "Taos," "Killemall," "Dirty Cartoons," "Five Little Rooms," "Sleeping Beauty."