Menomena

by William Ruhlmann
Portland, OR-based experimental rock group Menomena is a trio that consists of multi-instrumentalists Justin Harris, Brent Knopf, and Danny Seim. They assembled much of their debut album, I Am the Fun Blame Monster!, by using a computer program dubbed Deeler and developed by Knopf. The album's unusual packaging was in the form of a flipbook depicting the bandmembers performing. Menomena released it themselves on a very limited basis in 2003, then signed to the Portland independent label FILMguerrero for a national release in October 2004, accompanied by a national tour. Before signing to Barsuk, the band issued Under an Hour, a three-movement instrumental record that had originally accompanied a 2004 modern dance performance in Portland. Things were a little more straightforward, however, on Friend and Foe (cover art nonwithstanding, which was designed by Craig Thompson, author of the graphic novel Blankets), which came out in early 2007.