Still not sick of Friend And Foe? Same here! If there’s one complaint we hear, it’s that the band wears its influences on its sleeve (doesn’t bother us). So after poring over the album, it makes sense that Brent and Danny are obsessed with … PJ Harvey? From an interview with Daily Guardian (via LHB):
Daily Guardian: Who are your favorite musicians?Brent Knopf: Probably PJ Harvey. I like To Bring You My Love and Is this Desire? When I listen to her, I mostly respect her guitar playing.
Danny Seim: Brent and I were in a cover band called The Gay Lon Mabons. It was an all-PJ Harvey cover band. We played one show, at the Meow Meow, opening for a Tooth & Nail band ? I love PJ Harvey as well.
Daily Guardian: Who are your favorite drummers?
Danny Seim: I know that I like Led Zeppelin a lot, but I don’t think John Bonham would have been as amazing without John Paul Jones ? I kind of dedicated my life to The Flaming Lips drummer, Steven Drozd, right around the time Menomena started. I still am impressed with them. It’s waned a bit, but I’m impressed by his ability to multi-task.
So here’s your chance to get the “sound-alike” thing off your chest. Let’s play spot the influence on the record. Name the song (or part), the band you hear, etc. We’ll getcha started with the Brockian (don’t you hate that word?) first minute of “The Pelican,” up until the crazy riff leading into the Portland Chapter of the Menomena Choir’s heavenly harmonies.
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This is gonna be a lame way to start the game, but besides the obvious influences, I’m gonna go with Tapes ‘n Tapes, in that they are very start/stop and multi-part song-oriented. I also already get the feeling of Tapes ‘n Tapes-iness because both albums came out in January, blew me away, and then (I hope this doesn’t happen) gradually faded as the year went on. Here’s hope Menomena catchiness doesn’t dwindle too quickly! I listened to the record twice and immediately bought tickets for the March show at Bowery. Best of 07 so far definitely (followed by LCD Soundsystem)
Hehe I was discussing this with a friend and I think that Air Raid sounds like the Pinball Numbers song on Sesame Street… am I right? or am I right?
It’s the midsection part 2:14.
Tell me I’m not going crazy. Here’s the Pinball song.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h-YcBVEnLT8
the pelican = tv on the radio . but I am sure it wasn’t influenced by them but it sounds like them.
just posted bsides from their earlier work on my site.
K
I don’t hear Pelican being at all influenced by TVOTR…
The heavy harmonies remind me of Joggers [especially their first album like on "Back to the Future"]. But it makes sense since they are Portland buddies.
Oh I thought of another, but it’s more of a general influence than a song-specific one.
I hear tons of Dismemberment Plan and Fugazi-ish 90′s straight-ahead Rawk in the album (not a bad thing!)
Anybody agree?
TVOTR I sort of hear, but more seen in the ever-present sax and swirling rhythms than the harmonizing. Especially since I think a lot of it is overdubbed and not separate members of band a la TVOTR.
the vocals really remind me of a silver mt. zion.
i cAN HEAR THE THREE MILE PILOT