the anagramitization of rock ≠ menomena

the word “anagram” comes from greek and is a combination of the phrase “back again” and the infinitive verb “to write.” in my experience, anagrams are often constructed using an "equals" sign (=) to express the one-to-one character relationship between the words on the left and the words on the right.* although you wouldn’t suspect a mathy feel from a word game, anagrams, with their equals sign implications, often feel decidedly calculated.

menomena, who used an anagram to title their debut album, “i am the fun blame monster” (which = “the first menomena album”) is not unlike the language game itself. their music incorporates something of the element of surprise with a little controlled fun and a decidedly calculated feel, which might be the product of the knopf computer program they have used to develop so much of their music. the portland group’s sophomore album, “friend and foe,” leaves off the anagrammed title, while maintaining the group’s numerically digestible feel, as though you could divide the melodies into perfectly numbered equations, algorithms, and patterns.

but menomena’s saturday night performance at the echo just didn’t live up to that promise. the show was colder, techier, and thinner than the album had suggested it might be. and the three-member band seemed most propped up by the presence of their laptop, which, although tastefully adorned with a cute hear sticker, was more foe than friend when it came to delivering a show stopping performance. the best, and seemingly least technologically fueled moment of the night was their soft, warm performance of “wet and rustling.” (also my favorite track on the album.)

the popularity of anagrams is documented as far back as the middle ages, giving the one-to-one correlated word puzzles a long, robust history. the anagram’s popularity comes from its time-tested, long-loved nature. in contrast, menomena’s popularity comes from their freshness and innovation. but their thinner than necessary, highly technologically fueled stage show might be strengthened by taking a cue from the past. namely, that live music shows are more improved by the addition of feeling than by numbers, a base instead of a laptop.

* for example: information super highway = a rough whimper of insanity