Review: Menomena loves The Bishop
by Jordan Martich
"We accept the love we think we deserve," from Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a quote that I tried to remember this Valentine's Day, when progressive rock group Menomena played at The Bishop in Bloomington to a sold-out show. They hadn't played in Indiana in some time, but the packed crowd made them feel welcome and wanted.
And we really did deserve it when the Portland-based duo made sonic love to us, Indiana. We're a little cold and just at a weird place right now with love. Our Facebook profile explains the situation best: "It's complicated."
We arrived at the show late, just missing the set of the opener, Guards, which was a bummer. Everything improved with a gulp of Three Floyd's Brewing Co Zombiedust, in bottles behind The Bishop's bar. And the young, trendy college audience was nice to look at, to feel associated with, even if they also made us feel like we're getting older.
Menomena soon settled onstage, and we could feel the energy in the room rise. They played a balanced performance with songs from Friend and Foe, Mines and their newest record, Moms, which we think is our favorite. With Danny Seim on drums and Justin Harris switching between saxophone and bass guitar, they led a full floor of enthusiastic fans. Tracks from the more emotionally charged Moms sounded sharper live than tunes from earlier releases, which shows that the band has moved past and evolved from the departure of Brent Knopf, formerly the third piece of their songwriting puzzle. The changes in their live line-up, the continuing innovations in song structure and the bold, gorgeous instrumental layers on Moms contributed to an intensity that was less bright in older songs.
Not that those songs didn't still rock, just that the difference was apparent. The new album's process was initiated by Seim's idea to write about his mother who died 17 years ago, when he was 17. Harris contrasted with his more dependent relationship with his mother, in his father's absence. The product was cathartic and invigorating music that puts them on a different path than earlier records.
Maybe that's what we need to do Indiana - put the legwork in to move on. It worked for Menomena.
Read our interview with Menomena here.
Related Locations
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The Bishop
- 123 S. Walnut St., Bloomington Bloomington IN 47404
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812.333.4700
- www.thebishopbar.com
- (based on 2 user reviews)
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