Menomena

Menomena's second album continues their strange and frequently brilliant mission to turn pop music inside out. While the Portland trio's heady brand of indie-prog might be too dense and dynamic for some, those bored with the musical status quo -- be it mainstream or underground -- will find a lot to give ears to. Epic crescendos are braided throughout, built through a labyrinthine interplay of guitars, organs, pianos, horns, glockenspiels (!) and vocals diving in and out of phase and around the volume dial. Surprisingly, complexity never overshadows emotion.