Muscle'n Flo

On Tuesday I went to see a band from Portland, Oregon called Menomena. I've been enjoying their album Friend and Foe all year, and seeing them live only augmented my appreciation for the band (as all concerts ought to, but too often don't). Menomena is a democratic band in that it consists of three guys who share songwriting responsibilities (assisted by a computer program called Deeler, which was designed by one of the band members), trade instruments during the show, and split the singing duties. They met at a Christian high school in Portland, where they played in a self-described “Christian Pearl Jam-sounding band.” Awesome. Although I suppose there are worse options with which one could fill the "Christian ----sounding band" blank (e.g. that CCM juggernaut of the 90's, dc Talk, which has been described--accurately, I might add--as a "Christian Color Me Badd-sounding band"). The guys from Menomena have clearly matured past that inclination towards such a blatantly derivative style, as their music sounds remarkably unlike any other band I've heard. And with that introduction, they also happen to have some thoughtful lyrics, such as these from Friend and Foe opener "Muscle'n Flo:"

Well here I stand
a broken man
If I could I would raise my hands
I come before you humbly
If I could I'd be on my knees

Come lay down your head upon my chest
feel my heart beat feel my unrest
If Jesus could only wash my feet
Then I'd get up strong and muscle on . . .

I can relate to this.

On a lighter note, here's a pretty amusing article from Pitchfork by Menomena drummer Danny Seim, entitled My Favorite Cassettes (I Was Allowed to Listen To), Age 7-15. You really ought to read this, particularly if you grew up listening to cheesy Christian music.

And finally, here is a video of Menomena playing "Muscle'n Flo" in some guy's basement: