There's nothing conventional about
Mines, an indie album for the ages that both sounds and feels like the new pinnacle for independent rock. Menomena sprawl these tracks out, dissolving them of all possibilities and routes which makes
Mines exhilarating throughout, a maze inside a forest that has no beginning or end. Menomena seem more concerned with the journey than the destination, with epic, breathing tracks like "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such A Big Boy" that feel like the definitive statement of our times. Brooding, epic, and huge, "Pretty Boy" encapsulates the overwhelming mood and dynamics of
Mines, which shifts between the aforementioned crescendo-like track and tighter, more experimental numbers such as "Tithe" and "Killemall". The quirky nature of the sometimes random put-together sounds and notes at times makes
Mines feel like an unnatural mess, but further delves reveal honest expression through those quirks, not gimmicks. "Lunchmeat" is a buffet of sound and instruments until the whole thing collapses into the guitar lick of the decade. Menomena have a knack for finding the big moment in their songs and "Lunchmeat" has its speaker-shake inducing peak of "
sirens sang in monotone" and then the whole thing just explodes.
Mines is full of these little life-affirming moments, surrounded by a haze of delight. While their new foray
Moms is much, much tighter in its execution,
Mines wins purely for the soul, the catharsis that comes from listening to one of the best albums of the past 5 years.
