Indie-pop the way you’ve never seen before

Many bands try to generate a nice mix of electronica with analog instruments in order to bring… Many bands try to generate a nice mix of electronica with analog instruments in order to bring a very palatable and fun style to the table. Portland, Oregon’s Menomena is one of these bands.

Epic indie-pop group Menomena — pronounced like the Muppets’ song “Mahna Mahna” –is coming to Pittsburgh to showcase its awesome talents with the likes of Pit Er Pat and local rockers Harangue.

Menomena brings together the dance beats of electronica with the prettiness of post-rock and the wonderfully ironic lyrics of indie rock in one simple-to-swallow package. On their latest record, I Am the Fun Blame Monster, you’ll find plenty of good guitar, bass and drum work, but the true beauty lies in the amazingly well done drum-machine beats and synth arrangements. Songs on the disc feature up to 10 instruments put together by the three-piece group, which is quite a feat in itself.

Songs ebb and flow very smoothly, and everyone owes it to himself to hear “Strongest Man in the World.” The song begins with a Portishead-like beat with drone-style keys, but then picks up when the lyrics come in over the noodling piano line. “Iron…” it calls; “fused out of iron…” The song then resumes its hypnotic beat and takes you for quite a ride.

The trio released I Am the Fun Blame Monster in 2003, and it was available in very few record and online stores. Then their popularity skyrocketed, thanks to fantastic promotion and the fact that they were picked up by FILMguerrero.

The album, which features one of the coolest designs that any reviewer is likely to see (a flipbook that features four independent animations running at the same time), was lauded by many in the indie rock community, leading to packed houses for the band’s shows.

Hopefully, this time around, people who are not returning home for spring break will be able to catch this fantastic band at Modern Formations.

Also on tap for the show are electronic powerhouse Pit Er Pat and local rockers Harangue. Harangue has some wonderful fingerpicked guitar passages and a keyboard-driven rock sound that is infectious and haunting. And it should be added that their drummer is one of the most fun people to watch live.

All in all, this is a show that will bring together fans of electronica and indie rock. A few synth-based acts are assembling in one place to bring the rock in a new style and format. Be sure to scope the show if you happen to be in town this coming week.

And if you’re really interested, check out Menomena’s Web site as well. The site is constructed with all of the innocence of an Internet nerd and contains some great little animations and things to do with your free time. It can be seen at www.menomena.com.

Menomena, Pit Er Pat, and Harangue will be performing on Monday, March 7 at Modern Formations. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8. For more information, call (412) 362-0274.