Ramona Falls
intuit
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Label: Barsuk Records
As one third of Portland’s indie-darlings Menomena, Brent Knopf has to deal with some expectations for his solo debut intuit. The stakes are especially high when one considers the album was created with contributions and assistance from no less than 35 guests, including Matt Sheehy and members of Mirah, The Helio Sequence and Nice Nice. But doesn’t that make it less an individual effort than a giant, sprawling collaboration headed by Knopf a la Kevin Drew and Broken Social Scene? Further releases would likely reveal more, but what Knopf and friends have produced is definitely a solid record.
intuit’s most distinct and consistent quality is the lushness of its production; it’s a huge-sounding record, elaborately and carefully processed to (presumably) Knopf’s idea of perfection. Considering Menomena’s wonderfully weird sounds, this isn’t particularly surprising, but Ramona Falls’ beats and keyboards come with rounder, less abrasive sounds. Knopf’s voice is heavily treated throughout the course of the album, alternately fuzzed-out and echoing like a ghost. This is generally a fortunate thing, as he can sound alternately winsome and timid. At its best, he sounds ragged and sensitive, but those same qualities can simply come off as grating to others.
The album’s standout track, “I Say Fever,” is a composite of all the qualities that make it work; opening with an upbeat guitar lick juxtaposed against a minor, tinkling piano line, the song suddenly lurches into huge drumbeats and nearly danceable abrasive electric guitar as Knopf shouts out the title chorus. The following “Clover” uses its shimmering synthesizer line and a haunted vocal well, but also shows the kind of borderline-inane romanticisms that ’80s worship can sometimes engender: “If I’m dreaming you/ And you’re dreaming me/ Then why don’t we choose/ A different story.” A similar problem afflicts the otherwise rousing “Always Right,” which nearly removes all the goodwill built up by its spitefully soaring lyric “If you really wanted this/ Then you’d admit that I’m/ Always right” and paranoid pianos on a middle-eight that sounds like Danny Elfman attempting Chinese opera.
Perhaps intuit’s most visible flaw is that lack of focus- there’s plenty of talent here (not the least in numbers), as well as undeniably catchy hooks and melodies, though maybe too many ideas. Ambition is a wonderful thing but there are limits to everything.
by Nathan Kamal
