Minmae may very well be indie rock’s most underappreciated workhorse. The musical spawn of one Sean Brooks, Minmae has been churning out ambitious, thoughtful, occasionally opaque and often majestic work since the mid to late ‘90s from various home bases up and down the West Coast. “Prolific” describes the band in many facets, from releases (on a host of labels), to styles to membership. They’re a bit like the contemporary American version of The Fall, only with much less press and a much nicer mastermind. With 835, Minmae wrangles up its wily history and hones its oft-sprawling aesthetics, capturing both the melodic high points and noisy excursions of their past in a cohesive, congealed statement of guitar rock. Lengthy opener “Pay More” layers radio noise and voice samples over a lush, pretty guitar part that’s intermittently interrupted by a sample spitting “Goddamn motherfucking end of an era” while Brooks warbles into mild echo, “Wind is like a dog/it wants to play with you.” It’s a serene, powerful song whose hypnotic drift seems better suited for a closing rather than an opening track. This type of stubborn disregard for playing it straight is standard fare for the band - most of the records are unconventionally sequenced in an almost strident attempt to resist indie rock easy listening. Nonetheless, the album’s second track, the confident, (smog)-like dirge, “Your Band Controls the Weather” quickly asserts itself as the intense focal point of the album, despite the fact that subsequent tracks boast stronger melodies, more inventive arrangements and yet radder titles. That’s just the way Minmae records tend to shake out – stuff goes on that doesn’t make immediate sense but nonetheless imposes a certain abstract will on the listener. Perhaps the best-titled track, “Holy Grails, Showstoppers,” features jazzy drumming and even some saxophone, sounding almost like Morphine filtered through Three Mile Pilot. The best sounding track, however, could be the thumping workout of “The Sun Favors You.” Brooks’ voice takes on a particularly melodic, engaged tone and the e-bow never quits on that one. 835’s non-Metallica-related closer “Ride the Lightning” exemplifies the bands ability to balance drone and melodic figures, only this time electric piano assumes the central role from guitar fuzz for much of the track. Vocals make an appearance toward the beginning of the track, but the hazy, monotone vamp seems to stretch for minutes at a time. Fun Swedish indie pop this is not - this is music for the long haul.

It’s staggering to consider the myriad lesser, yet better-hyped bands that have come and gone from the indie hipsterati mindshare over the past decade while Minmae nobly packs their philosopher’s lunchbox in relative obscurity. Why wait for today’s jaded pre-teens to grow up, develop sophisticated musical tastes and rediscover the mighty Minmae long after the fact? Minmae slugs away as you read these words and, chances are, they’ll be passing through your hometown before too long. Embrace tomorrow’s Nuggets today. – Jon Rooney (2007, The Daily Copper)