Enon: High Society : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Generally, a short attention span isn't thought of as a benefit, but in the world of art rock, being so saddled can be a definite advantage. It's turned out that way for John Schmersal, the brains behind Enon (and, once upon a time, the backbone of its precursor, Brainiac). On this, Enon's second long-player, Schmersal -- now flanked by Blonde Redhead's Toko Yasuda -- flits between spasmodic distorto-pop (like "Salty") and ambling Kinks-meet-Superchunk nuggets ("Sold!"). Yasuda's contributions tend to lighten things up, sometimes, as on the fluffy "In This City," a bit too much, but as often as not, her more-bounce-to-the-ounce bass playing sends songs like "Carbonation" spinning in even more fractious directions. Like kindred spirit Robert Pollard, Schmersal doesn't believe in wasting precious energy gussying tunes up with unnecessary accoutrements like middle eights and third verses, which imbues High Society with kind of breathless energy custom made for a hot summer night.

DAVID SPRAGUE
(July 2, 2002)