Menomena

"Force yourself to breathe." So begins Menomena's I Am the Fun Blame Monster! It's a prophetic lyric fragment considering the confusingly perfect nine songs that are about to follow and, yes, leave you breathless. Originally released on a limited basis in 2003 (mostly because of the difficulty and cost in reproducing the 2-inch-thick flip book that makes up the artwork), the album received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which helped garner a new record deal for the band and this recent reissue. Blame Monster! is a record full of stops and starts, distorted drums, major-key pianos, and echoey, minor-key guitar solos, with the occasional saxophone and handclap thrown in. The Portland quartet writes rock with dance music arrangements, strewing organically created textures on top of each other, building and collapsing indie rock structures with distinct musical voices. While it's difficult to find the reference point for Menomena's influences, it's equally difficult to deny that the band writes pop gems.