Customer Reviews

Believo

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Enon is the latest endevour of John Schmersal, once guitarist for the now defunct Brainiac, and this album doesn't fall too far from the tree. But where Brainiac melded pop, punk, and new wave, Enon strides comfortably into techno (For the Sum of it) and even some classic soul ("Rubber Car") in addition to the the new wave pop/punk axis. "Cruel," with breathy vocals and somber tone sounds like something Elysian Fields might do, and "Conjugate the Verbs" would make every critics top 10 list if Beck had done it. The worst thing about this album is that it is over so quickly - it clocks in at around 35 minutes. Hopefully Enon can keep producing records of this quality. If they do, they seem destined to have the same kind of underground influence as Brainiac and Man...Or Astroman?

With the turn of the decade, music fans are scrambling to find that one album that's really going to kick off a new era of music; the next "Slanted and Enchanted", "Spiderland", or "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." if you will. While admitedly its far to early in the decade to place any album in that prestigious lineage, Enon's "Believo!" is a good pony to bet on. Truly an album that couldn't have been made 10 years ago, Enon takes the "kitchen sink" aesthetic of the Elephant Six collective, woozy, Pavement-style hooks, and gender-bending vocals a-la Beck and wrings it all through a Power Book for a decidedly futuristic sound. The result is an album that constantly threatens to collapse under the enormous weight of it's own inventiveness. Acoustic guitars strum gently behind a wash of crashing electronic waves; breaking dishes serve as drum loops; vocals are spliced to the point of total incoherence... and it all works. In the hands of a lesser band this would sound like a desperate attempt to drag their music kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Luckily, Enon has a rock-solid understanding that no matter how much technology changes the sound and flavor of music, it will never change the fact that a good melody; good song writing is what people will ultimately connect to, and "Believo!" has it in spades. I shudder to think about what Enon will do next.

Believo! is the first album I listened to by Enon and it's still my favorite. Their unusual style with strange vocals, use of organs and sound effects makes for strange sounding music, but the melodies are excellent and very catchy. I listened to part of their newer CD High Society but wasn't as impressed. In it they sound more mainstream and seem to have lost some of their original style in the process. That's why I recommend this CD over High Society to anyone who is looking for great orignal tracks.

A near-perfect album, blending sonic guitars, accoustics, jazzy/avante garde drumming, heavy aggressive bass, and sweet singing. Sounds fresh every listen, the only thing is the songs are too short and there's not enough of them.

Eclectic set of mish-mashed indie sensibilities usually do not rise above the experimental frameworks created but most stay fun in a detached sort of way. The meeting of these quirky musicians to form this little sideproject supergroup proves most of the material will be a worthy distraction, and for the most part the intersecting experimental and pop aspects merge wonderfully, there just is not a whole lot of stand out songwriting (which does maintain an impressive, if underdeveloped range). Nonetheless, Believo! presents a convincing palate of indie pop rock, indulging a tad much in it's offbeat presentation, yet remaining intelligently catchy throughout.

When i first popped it in, i didn't know what to expect. I had heard Brainiac, and loved them but i knew nothing about skeleton key. To my surprise, this cd put a smile on my face with each song. they are all so innovative and different without being annoying. Enon somewhat remind me of a more industrialized beck, or maybe just lo-fi. The playful feel and variation in singing is very similar to Midnite Vultures. Whether or not you buy the cd, you should at least give Enon a listen.

I first saw Enon open for Man or Astroman in R.I. Man or Astroman is one of my favorite three bands and I had never seen them before. Needless to say, I was excited to see them. After Enon's set, I was ready to leave... I thought that there was no way any band could compare to their live set... Luckily MOAM was equally amazing, but Enon blew me away...Their album seemed tame compared to their live act, but with more listening, the distorted pop/rock of Believo hooked me and still makes me want to sing and dance around. It is a really good album. I want to make comparisons to Beck with some of Enon's catchier songs, but Enon drives, they rock...

Enon have fashioned one of the most original disc to come along in quite some time. Strange, though, that it is also very very good. Usually rabid experimentalism and 'anything goes'-style songcrafting yield results much more deserving of the Difficult Listening Hour. Believo!, strange as it is, is never so strange as to not make sense. From the sassy-funk-married-to-dark-noise weirdness of Rubber Car, to the earnest power of the title track (which stands up against yer basic Nirvana/Sebadoh both in structure and clarity) to the utterly mindblowing final cut Biofeedback (wherein Schmersal sounds like he is holding his tongue while singing), Believo! has all the weird angles of a Fritz Lang while still pinning it all down just right.

I can only add one thing to these fine reviews. Even with my mild annoyance that this album's lyrics kind of drift off the mark sometimes, to date I have had this CD back in my car CD player for the third LONG stint, and I expect I will be pulling it back out and loving it again and again for years to come. The sounds are strong and very fresh -- and to hear jazz and techno influences melded so excellently with dynamic live beats and the occasional grinding guitar -- all with a courageous commitment to the experimental -- set this recording way apart.

I have to admit nothing has had me this hooked on one band since The Sea And Cake's "One Bedroom". There is nothing to not like about these guys! Albums chocked full of occasionally hysteria driven, braniac pandamonium, when not that always is a sweet diversion from classical thought in musical referencing. The perfect artist for the one who never knows what they want to hear!