Menomena, "Friend and Foe" (Barsuk) - 4 stars

Getting to know Menomena can take time. The emerging Portland, Ore. trio’s name is playfully enigmatic, like an inside joke to which you’re not privy. A Muppets allusion, perhaps? The music doesn’t make the band’s intent much clearer. Their third release, “Friend and Foe,” opens with the richly layered “Muscle ’n Flo.” Its dynamic rhythm and slide guitar give way first to a shifting piano melody and then again to an organ surging beneath.

The album’s disparate songs reveal a scattered but captivating personality. Band members Brent Knopf, Justin Harris, and Danny Seim are each multitalented musicians, and their experimental arrangements range from saxophones and glockenspiels to Knopf’s own digital looping machine. The chorus of “Evil Bee” emulates “The Argument”-era Fugazi before pulling out all the stops with a horn fanfare and triumphant piano riff. Menomena is fearlessly confident in its musicianship, and even the album’s few faltering steps are refreshingly original.