Portland, Oregon has graced the world of music with many fine bands these past few years, one of which is Brent Knopf’s latest project Ramona Falls. Knopf was a founding member of one of Portland’s finest live acts, Menomena, and created Ramona Falls as a side project in 2009, releasing the album Intuit, which was widely embraced by fans.
In 2011 Knopf parted ways with Menomena to focus solely on Ramona Falls, and the new album Prophet, which was released on Barsuk Records in May of 2012. The latest release finds our fearless front man in fine form as he swirls and shifts between atmospheric, electronic-rock with the track “The Space Between Lightning and Thunder,” and the harder edged, free-form rock of “Sqworm.” The album’s opening track “Bodies of Water” is the perfect way to start the journey through this diverse set of songs. The beginning piano notes blend seamlessly into a funky-robotic, swirling beat that keeps the listener bopping along as each track progresses. By the time you reach the last song of the album“Helium” you have traveled through Knopf’s musically twisted mind and have come out the other side wanting more.
It’s clear that the eccentric style that made Menomena so widely popular is very evident in Ramona Falls, but what’s also clear is that Brent Knopf is still having lots of fun creating music, and we as music fans get to reap the benefits of his creative wanderlust.
Be First to Comment