There's something to be said for the ambition that experimental rock bands have.

Look at artists like Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Sonic Youth -- artists that took the status quo of rock and pushed it in new directions, creating a new status quo.

Without experimentalism in music, there would be no progress. Worst of all, every band would sound almost the same. Everyone would be derivative of someone, and some bands would be derivative of everyone (see: Jet).

Menomena has been described as an experimental rock band. Its new album, Friend and Foe, certainly has elements of experimentalism; the band uses an electronic looping technique by which the members take turns recording instruments. As a piano part ends, a saxophone part begins; as the sax ends, a new bass line begins, and so on.

The issue with Menomena, unlike many experimental rock bands, is not that the music is too weird or inaccessible. The band does write some catchy hooks within its winding arrangements. But for a band that's meant to be pushing the limits, Menomena is derivative and formulaic.

The variety of the instrumentation keeps the songs interesting, but because of Menomena's signature recording style, every song follows the same pattern. The melodies between instruments aren't strong enough to stand on their own.

On top of the formulaic song structure, the album, while still different from the mainstream, sounds like its indie rock predecessors.

The album does have its positives, however. The monotony is broken by "Rotten Hell," which features a fantastic use of vocal harmony throughout. The melody is one of the strongest on the album, which is a shame since it takes the listener half the album to get there.

The band's bells and whistles come in handy on "Boyscout'n," which literally features whistles in the introduction of the song. Through most of the album, the bells and whistles seem like trivial accessories, but on this song the whistles bring something to the table.

Lyrically, Friend and Foe is an achievement as well. The band's lyrical style is almost Emersonian. The songs as a whole read like a bunch of fortune cookies in succession, except the contents are actually thought-provoking.

While Friend and Foe's "experimental" tag may be undeserving, and the melodies of the songs are a bit weak to stand on their own, the lyrics, instrumentation and production values make it an enjoyable listen. Grade: B-

-- Reviewed by Kevin Doran