The band formed in late 2000, when ex-member Brent Knopf graduated from Dartmouth College and returned to Portland to collaborate with Harris and Seim. They played their first show in July 2001, at The Meow Meow, a now-defunct all ages venue in Portland.
Menomena self-released their debut album, I Am the Fun Blame Monster!, on May 20, 2003. The album was elaborately packaged in an 80-page flipbook that Seim designed and individually hand-assembled. It later received nationwide distribution through FILMguerrero in 2004. The title is an anagram for The First Menomena Album.
In 2005, Under an Hour was released as a three-track album of instrumental music written for and performed with Monster Squad, an experimental dance company based in Portland.
In August of 2006, Menomena signed with Barsuk Records although the band still maintains a relationship with their old label, FILMguerrero. It was stated that FILMguerrero would still be involved in their old catalog and future vinyl releases.
Menomena released their next album in 2007, titled Friend and Foe. It received relative critical acclaim -- while some websites like Pitchfork Media praised the album for its effective modular pop, others like PopMatters criticized it for presenting a sense of feigned maturity. Their record release show was held in their home town of Portland, Oregon. The packaging features artwork by graphic novelist/cartoonist Craig Thompson, consisting of die-cut shapes, decoder rings, and hidden messages. It was nominated for "Best Recording Package" at The Grammy Awards.
The band's following album, Mines, was released in July 2010.
In January 2011, Brent Knopf's departure was announced. He left the band under good terms in order to focus on his other project Ramona Falls.
Without Knopf, Menomena released their most recent album, Moms in September of 2012.
The band's name was chosen for "the way it rolls off the tongue, sexually, or something" and has no specific meaning, although it is often assumed to refer to the Piero Umiliani song "Mah Nà Mah Nà", a staple of The Muppet Show.
Danny Seim also has a side project began in the late 90's titled Lackthereof.
Rose
Menomena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you don't count the ghosts
'Cause I have those a plenty
And its name is rose
Its name is rose
So dear Rose, is home
The scent of skin
I've been
So I can trace back my tracks
I can trace back my tracks
Relax in me, in me
Should I be wanting it back
I can trace back my tracks
I can trace back
I need some of that
Wander where my blood
Dark red some veins
Enough said
Not said
The song "Rose" by Menomena is a melancholic reflection on the loneliness and emptiness that the songwriter feels. The first line "My beds are always empty" sets the tone for the entire song - the songwriter is alone and isolated. The line "If you don't count the ghosts" implies that the songwriter's past is haunting them, and they are unable to move on from it. The second line, "Cause I have those a plenty" further reinforces the idea that the songwriter's past is a burden they bear.
The chorus of the song is addressed to the songwriter's past - a person named Rose. The songwriter asks if Rose is their true home, or if it is somewhere they have been before. They want to trace back their tracks, to try and find the place where they truly belong. The line "Relax in me, in me" is a plea for comfort and companionship, but it is also tinged with desperation. The songwriter knows that they may never find the solace they seek.
The final lines of the song, "Wander where my blood / Dark red some veins / Enough said / Not said" suggests that the songwriter is struggling to articulate the pain they feel. They are trying to understand their own emotions and motivations, but they are unable to put it into words. The ambiguity of the lyrics is deliberate - the listener is meant to fill in the gaps and create their own understanding of what the songwriter is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
My beds are always empty
I am always alone in my bed
If you don't count the ghosts
Except for the imaginary creatures that I think I see
'Cause I have those a plenty
Because I have so many of them
And its name is rose
And its name is my loneliness
So dear Rose, is home
My loneliness is where I belong
The scent of skin
The smell of human contact
Or is home somewhere
Or maybe home is somewhere else
I've been
I have traveled and experienced different places
So I can trace back my tracks
I can remember where I've been
Relax in me, in me
Find comfort and solace in me
Should I be wanting it back
If I want to return to my past
I can trace back my tracks
I can remember where I've been
I can trace back
I can retrace my steps
I need some of that
I need that comfort and warmth
Wander where my blood
Think about my roots and heritage
Dark red some veins
Some parts of my heritage are dark and complex
Enough said
That's all that needs to be said
Not said
There are other things that are left unsaid
Lyrics © DistroKid, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: Brent Knopf, Daniel Frederic Seim, Justin Andrew Harris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
harryeffingpotter
best menomena song, best piano part ever, stuck in my head for days.
Maszka M.
Such a beautiful song <3
rozalindamohemur
in love with this song!