Menomena + Illinois - Paradise Rock Club (Boston, MA; Nov. 10, 2007)

I have been charged with the task of writing the first concert “review” in this collective endeavor, this coterie of concertgoers, determined to illuminate the reasons for and against “stepping out” late at night to witness the live performance of music. As a former band man myself, and now on the curious side of writing about attending shows, I find myself asking, “Why attend these public displays of noise?” Let’s face it: most of the time the shows are on weeknights, they’re late, you have to drink through the first couple of bands, who every once in a while give you something to nod your head at, just to end up listening to an uninspired replication of a CD that the performers are already tired of playing.

Then I considered to myself, in an awkward, semi-audible conversation that went a little something like this:

Well Adam – “Gigs,” as we pretentious types like to call them, are a way for folks interested in “Music” to get together and share in their appreciation. Attending the gig is a communal activity, a collective of spiritual rawness, ebullient fist pumping, dirty words, and seedy clubs—it is a form of group hugging, put into practice in the way I just mentioned. Sometimes it is less about the music and more about the experience, and sometimes it is more about the music and less about the experience. Both aspects of going to a show are tied, though, to the communal expression of musical appreciation. I suppose Melophobe is more in the business of trying to point out which type of communal music appreciation is going on at a show, and less in the business of criticizing or “reviewing” a night-club outing.

The model will be one of conversation with the reader, photos of the experience, and a general source of information for upcoming and past events. Hopefully, this will develop into another forum where we can communally show our passion for the aural arts.

Down to Business

Menomena Concert Review:

Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Nov. 9th. I am drunk. I am in the familiar position of having had too many PBRs too quickly. Their cheapness and rudimentary alchemy leading to a watered-down American Lager taste is my downfall. I know the panacea is not far away. Nothing like a good live act to stimulate the senses, effectively quashing any haziness the drink brings.

Menomena walks out. A three piece, “that is surprising” I suggest to myself. I have been a fan for a while, but I figured that they would need a broader live line up to reproduce their busy sound. I am wrong. In fact, the first thing I notice is how full the sound is. The drums kick in right away, and I don’t know if there is a 24 inch base drum on stage, but the kick literally shakes the club. In fact, the sound is really incredible; nicely done Paradise, but the clarity cannot be attributed to skilled sound mixing alone. A live Menomena show is schizophrenic brilliance; it is a boxing match of sound. Hard drums and strained vocal shouts juxtaposed against beautiful keyboard melodies. The melodies are simple, but rubbing up against the rocking compositions, usually ripped out of percussion-like guitar riffs and bass thumps, they amalgamate into what I would call a series of nice jabs and a knock-out punch of a fleeting reprieve—beauty. In these beautiful spaces, I catch my breath; I soak in the daze of being kicked with the awesome rawness of the rocking phrases in Menomena’s songs. Through careful balance, the exchange of the raw with the morning-like haze of occasional reprieves, Menomena’s musical brilliance establishes itself.

The mastery of Menomena is that three can take a meticulous musical arrangement that exudes harmony, and give it a quality that makes it seem as if the sounds are being improvised right there for the audience in that exact moment in Paradise.

Check it: Menomena (official) / Menomena (myspace)
Check it: Illinois (official) / Illinois (myspace)

review to your liking? You'll sweat:

The National + Menomena - The Moore Theatre (Seattle, WA; Sept. 19, 2008)

Wolf Parade + Listening Party - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR; July 15, 2008)

melophobe looks back: favorite concerts from our first year!

melophobe looks back: favorite concert photos from our first year!

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