Ramona Falls

Intuit

(Barsuk)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Such is the rapid current of today’s music biz that people are starting to wonder “Hey, what ever happened to Menomena?”  Back in 2007, of course, they were one of indie’s “it” bands, occupying the rarified air that is today gulped by Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors.  While we wait for the follow-up to Friend and Foe, the chaps have kept busy – Danny Seim (under his Lackthereof moniker) has a retrospective coming out in October, and Brent Knopf devoted a good chunk of time to his Ramona Falls “solo” “side project.”  That description is in dual quotes because neither part seems true.  He assembled a huge cast of friends (including a fair number of folks from the latest edition of Who’s Who In Pacific Northwest Indie Music), so Intuit is a lot closer to the stuffed-with-ideas feel of Menomena than the stripped-down, dude-in-basement sound of some solo projects.  And that’s also part of the reason why Ramona Falls doesn’t feel like a mere side project – that and the fact that the songs are so damn good.

Opening track “Melectric” sets the tone for an album that smartly doesn’t shy away from the motherland; there’s plenty of overlap between Ramona Falls and Menomena.  While there’s naturally more push and pull when Knopf and Seim are together, there’s still a good amount of variety on Intuit, as evidenced by the aggressive, nearly abrasive stomp and distortion of the second track, “I Say Fever” (“I hope it conveys a spirit of both panic and resignation,” Knopf told Stereogum).

Knopf has a knack for making sense out of chaos.  The motley crew that he assembled blends seamlessly into the background, just as though they were just a big backing band.  Intuit shines brightest around its softest corners – “Bellyfulla” and “Russia” especially – but, without fail, there are flourishes, crescendos and curves that set them apart.