Menomena, Friend and Foe – Given the gravity of the events in the Twin Cities, I was looking for a bit of an uplift from worrying about friends. While Friend and Foe was not a directly fun and bright album, it was a great departure towards solid music making that is inventive and experimental without losing sight of being appealing. It took me a while to really embrace their sound during the initial listen (I was at the gym and listening to random shouts, rattles, and a baritone sax was a little too much to focus on while doing reverse crunches), but I knew that there was much more to savor. After a few listens, it’s easier to appreciate the stellar mixing of this album. There is a lot of noise. In a good way. It’s adequately massive when it needs to be yet never feels bloated. Nor repetitive (read previous post on the Editors). The first track to really stun me into paying closer attention was “Boyscout’n”. The brooding beginning opens to an epic yet playful clash mixing high pitched whistles with a driving guitar/sax/keys combination. It was enough to grab my attention and force me to listen with a more keen ear. It is in this balance of light and dark, stark and richness that proves Friend and Foe will be an album worth repeat listens.