ENON - Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence (Cd + Dvd)

Brainiac, from Dayton, Ohio, embodied one of the most bizarre and entertaining sides of Nineties indie-rock; albums like "Bonsai Superstar" (1994) and "Hissing Prigs In Static Couture" (1996) blend melody and noise in a combination so original that it earned them a respected place within alternative circuits, quickly turning them into a genuine reference point for new generations of musicians and listeners.

The band's career, however, came to a tragic end in 1997 with the death of their leader, singer and keyboardist Tim Taylor, following a car accident. A few years later, John Schmersal (Brainiac's guitarist since the days of "Bonsai Superstar") moved to New York, where, under the pseudonym John Stuart Mill, he released an album of unreleased material ("Forget Everything", 1999) and formed Enon, a band whose output was entertaining, if not always effective.

Over the course of five years, Enon released four studio albums and went through just as many line-up changes. Not only that: Schmersal and co. put out a handful of singles, wrote promotional material for specialist magazines and music websites, and made a few videos. "Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence" collects it all. The opening track ("Knock That Door"), until now available only on the band's official site (www.enon.tv), is defined by the sensual innocence of Toko Yasuda's voice and a knowing, distorted bass line that perfectly sums up the band's cheerful, low-key spirit. The entirely sampled rhythmic structure of "The Nightmare Of Atomic Men" underpins Schmersal's understated, almost detached vocals alongside Yasuda's (who also handles synth duties); the spirit of Brainiac hovers over the track's barely three minutes, though Tim Taylor's bizarre flashes of inspiration are by now little more than a distant memory. "Adalania (Not So Fair)" is a short nursery rhyme set to the sound of a music box, recalling the incidental melodic flourishes of early Velvet Underground. "Drowning Appointments" rests on a simple, bland harmonic base, while "Normal Is Happening", clocking in at thirty-eight seconds, is little more than a joke.

The compilation continues with a handful of good ideas diluted in a mess of experiments that too often exist only for their own sake. Ultimately, the inevitable patchiness of "Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence" doesn't do Enon any favors, given that in the past they've shown real bite with records as fresh and inspired as "High Society" (2002). The first pressing of the CD comes bundled with a DVD featuring the band's six videos, a live performance, a short documentary shot in 1999, a collection of posters and other photographic material.

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30/04/2026