It’s been a year of changes for Menomena. After going strong as a three-piece for 10 years (and four full-length albums), Brent Knopf decided to leave the band and focus on other endeavors, leaving Justin Harris and Danny Seim as a two-piece.

But this didn’t stop the remaining two musicians, who ended up releasing Moms—one of the band’s most aggressive, innovative and straight-from-the-heart albums to date—earlier this month. Here’s “Heavy Is As Heavy Does” from the new album.

On Thursday night, the new incarnation of Menomena proved to Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater that it’s not going anywhere but forward. Though the album was written and recorded exclusively by Harris and Seim, three additional performers accompanied the duo on keyboards and guitar. Usually, “touring” musicians lack the enthusiasm and charisma permanent members possess because, well, they’re not technically part of the band, but this group of guys was an exception. Each one not only brought his A-game as far as musicianship was concerned, but they were all damn good performers too, losing themselves in the music and gyrating onstage as much as Harris and Seim did.

As a quintet, Menomena played for an hour-and-a-half, with a set list spanning its entire discography, making no mention of its former bandmate’s absence. Harris and Seim began the performance with “Muscle’n Flo,” the leading track off its most highly received album, 2007’s Friend And Foe.  From there, they dove into “Plumage,” off Moms, and Harris busted out not only his impeccable clapping skills, but his saxophone playing skills as well.

The energy swelled and nearly hit its crescendo during “Strongest Man In The World,” a slow-burning, epic, instrumental-focused song off Menomena’s first full-length, 2003’s I Am The Fun Blame Monster, but the show didn’t peak until “Don’t Mess With Latexas.” This song, which was not only a show highlight but album highlight on Moms as well, featured the lovely Charlene deGuzman showing off her tap dancing skills, and (one of) the touring keyboardists pounding on Seim’s drum kit beside him.  This would have been a perfect set closer, but they continued on for three more songs and came back out for an encore, appropriately ending with “The Pelican,” one of the band’s most raw, forceful tracks.

Menomena is currently on tour in North America before heading overseas to Europe in November. Check out a full list of tour dates here.

 

Photos taken by Katrina Nattress

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