NPR: The Best Song In The World Today: "Wet and Rusting" by Menomena

The Best Song In The World Today: "Wet and Rusting" by Menomena

Filed under: The Best Song In The World Today

These are heady days in my old stomps: The Pacific Northwest. The Portland Trailblazers got themselves the first pick in the NBA draft -- I hope Greg Oden owns some Polar Fleece -- and as if that weren't enough, The Rose City is also the home of the band Menomena. Their latest record Friend and Foe is so good it will crawl in your ear and lay awesome eggs in your brain. My fave so far is the beautiful / haunting "Wet and Rusting" (by the way, the fact that I just used the biggest cliche EVER to describe a song shows you exactly why I'm not a music critic).

Anyway, the song is great and Bonus! It even comes with a really funny / heartbreaking (okay THAT is actually the biggest cliche ever) video shot by my personal hero Lance Bangs.

The video seems kind of random at first, but give it a minute and it all starts to come together. I dare you not to get a little choked up by the shot of them bouncing on the rolling trampoline in slo-mo.

Thanks to I Can't Believe It's Not Better! for the heads up on the song. And yes I know it was also on Stereogum and other places a while ago. I get it, I'm lame.

Luke Burbank

4:14 PM ET | 05-23-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I love this song -- and the video is pretty wonderful. What kind of music coverage are you guys planning to do on the show, anyway? I'm not sure if I've seen mention of it here. This is the part where I mention that I JUST HAPPEN to be a hip and thoughtful 20something music critic with a lot of good ideas...
keep up the good work.

Sent by Joel | 6:08 PM ET | 05-23-2007

Hey Joel -- send your ideas our way. Music will be a big part of the show and we're going to approach it in a variety of ways, including chats with DJs and music critics -- as well as, hopefully, lots of live in-studio performances.

Sent by Matt Martinez | 8:51 PM ET | 05-23-2007

I must share this Menomena story...
I was walking over to Phog Lounge (my bar), to open, when a "band van" pulls up. I assumed it was my band for the night, but when the van rolled down it's windows, they asked, "How do we get to the tunnel?"
They had a gig in Detroit that night. They needed to get out if Windsor (Canada) to The Magic Stick.
"Oh, I thought you might be my band for tonight...what kind of music do you play?" I asked.
The reply? "Overrated."
My friend Sean and I were flabbergasted. We had never heard an answer like that.
They told us their band name, shook hands, gave directions, and they GAVE me an EP of Wet and Rusting.
I played it immediately upon entering the bar...getting things ready to the tunes of this incredible band who told me they were from Portland.

Later on in the day, I get a call asking me to cover for a show at the university radio station, CJAM. I agree, and take my new prize CD along with me. Upon playing it, and announcing my miraculous meeting, there were more ears listening than I thought.

A week later, Menomena returns from their tour and sends me a myspace message (Phog's profile) and thanks me for playing their CD on the air and promoting the show. Apparantly, some listeners went to the show because of the samples, and told the band the whole schtick I used on the air.
It was amazing. They claim that they will play our place on their next tour...and within months, I am seeing these posts on blogs all over the place. Discover them while they're tiny, that's good motto.

Sent by Tom Lucier | 11:23 PM ET | 05-23-2007

Um yeah...my bad. It's "Wet and Rusting."

You're welcome for the heads up. I apologize for the bad info.

Sent by Ben | 1:00 AM ET | 05-24-2007

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