Mines

Portland, OR art-rock trio Menomena is among the leaders of the new school of indie rock musically complex, melodically and lyrically riveting, and unlike anything that has come before. Their breakthrough album Friend & Foe epitomized the artistry required to balance a modern band's storm of ideas, and it was anointed Best New Music by indie tastemaker Pitchfork. The band's newest work comes after a period of significant upheaval that has left them with no shortage of new ideas, and Mines is as good or better than anything they've done to-date. In the wake of brutal disagreements, unrelenting grudges and failed marriages (not to mention a world full of modern terrorism, natural disasters and economic collapse) Menomena is still standing, and has made an album that many are already saying defines the state of intelligent pop music one decade into the millenium.