Menomena On World Cafe

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courtesy of the artist

courtesy of the artist

Portland, Oregon's experimental-rock trio Menomena is always full of surprises. Since self-releasing its debut, I Am The Fun Blame Monster!, in 2000, it's been a solid 10-year career full of innovative music. Over the past decade, the perfectionists fuse guitar, glockenspiel, bass, baritone and alto sax, keys, percussion and vocals, playing several instruments at once and swapping between songs. At their aid is their very own homemade computer program, which loops their instrumental riffs together, allowing Menomena to delicately mix punk and funk rhythms with eerie, deep melodies, and gorgeous vocal harmonies. Clearly their process is an intricate one, but it makes for quite a spectacular live experience.

With several albums to their name and a Grammy nomination for "Best Recording Package," the indie rock veterans have returned with their first record in four years, Mines. The follow-up to their critically acclaimed third release, Friend and Foe, Mines finds Menomena taking a much darker, serious route.

Listen to the band speak with World Cafe host David Dye about transforming its studio creations into live music.