Brent Knopf and his band Menomena are no strangers to creating fantastic music. Their last album, the criminally underrated Friends and Foe started 2007 off on a high note. Deciding to take his ideas that the rest of the band rejected or just didn't fit, he released a solo album under the name Ramona Falls. Much in the same vein of Menomena, the songs start off deceptively simple but quickly turn into a labyrinth of sounds and textures. Piano crescendos, trumpets, thundering drums and a perfect mix of electronic and acoustic are just a fraction of the ingredients included in this incredible album.
Starting off with the subdued yet upbeat "Melectric", you quickly realize this is more accessible than anything released by Menomena. This is followed by the eerie and frantic "I Say Fever", with it's addicting hook and volatile yet catchy chorus it has quickly become the flagship of the album. With the short but sweet piano composition "Boy Ant", to the simple yet gorgeous folk song "The Darkest Day", the remainder of the album seems to unwind and relax a bit. Finishing off with the Mark Kozeleksque "Diamond Shovel", this album seems to travel an incredible distance in such a short time.
Even though at times it may seem a bit erratic, this is a fantastic release and barely missed out on my favourites of '09 list. Intuit has a bit of everything so no matter what type of music you enjoy you need to give this a shot.
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