Doing things in the name of moms is always a good idea. It’s a pretty sure-fire way to get people interested in whatever cockamamie thing you’re doing, because after all, even the most heartless bastard on Earth (that’d be this guy) has a mom. Walking marathons in support of moms? Awesome, how can I pledge? Selling store-bought pickles door-to-door to raise greater awareness of moms? Sure, I’ll take 12. Writing, recording, and releasing a new album on Barsuk Records and embarking on a subsequent headlining tour of North America in tribute to your own moms? Sweet, you must be Menomena, whose new album, Moms (instead of the better Momania) coming out on September 18, which henceforth shall be known as “Mothers’ Day”. Or… something else. Let me work on it. Either way, it’s back-story time!
Since releasing 2010’s Mines, Justin Harris and Danny Seim parted ways with co-founder Brent Knopf, who went off to go live in Ramona Falls or something, leaving the duo to write and record by themselves for the first time. And like any decent, recently-abandoned adult males in western society, the abandonment got them thinking about their good-old supportive moms!! On his tunes, Seim explored “the death of his mother when he was but a teenager,” while Harris focused on his youth as the child of a single mother and the “indelible impressions [left by that situation] on everything he’s done since” for his. Fun, poppy choices! You can watch a characteristically shoestring teaser trailer for the new album below, and a list of NO-DADS-ALLOWED tourdates after the tracklisting. Fuckin’ dads.
Moms tracklisting:
01. Plumage
02. Capsule
03. Pique
04. Baton
05. Heavy Is As Heavy Does
06. Giftshoppe
07. Skintercourse
08. Tantalus
09. Don’t Mess With Latexas
10. One Horse
Menomena tourdates:
09.07.12 - Portland, OR - Musicfest NW
09.25.12 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst
09.26.12 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club
09.27.12 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
09.28.12 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
09.29.12 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
10.02.12 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
10.03.12 - Austin, TX - Parish
10.04.12 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s
10.05.12 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
10.06.12 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10.09.12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10.10.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10.11.12 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10.13.12 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
10.16.12 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
10.17.12 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
10.18.12 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10.19.12 - Chicago, IL - Metro
10.20.12 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
10.23.12 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
10.25.12 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore
10.26.12 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
12.07-09.12 - Minehead, UK - All Tomorrow’s Parties
• Menomena: http://menomena.com
• Barsuk: http://www.barsuk.com
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