I have this bad habit when it comes to following a band’s musical output. Typically, when a given ensemble kicks off their career with a couple face-melting, rollicking releases, only to stumble at some point with a record that falls off, quality-wise, i tend to check out and not give future releases a chance. It’s shitty, i know, but let’s get real: there are too many bands out there putting out too much quality stuff for me to waste my time with a band that’s already peaked. Plus, i think i have indie-band ADD, so there’s that.

But Enon and i…we have a history. A history that dates back to 1994 and involves guitarist/vocalist John Schmersal’s previous band, Brainiac (whom i’m sure bassist/vocalist Toko Yasuda and drummer Matt Schultz are tired of hearing about…sorry guys). Look, i’ll spare the details…if you’re a regular SSC reader, you know that i’m basically an unabashed Brainiac fanboy who considers them the greatest band that ever existed, period. So i won’t bore you with the rehash (if you’re unfamiliar, my review of their Bonsai Superstar record from 1994 is here). Just accept my strong pro-Enon bias for what it is, and roll with it.

Long story short, i owe John & the boys my musical identity, and thus, even though their most recent release of new material, 2003’s Hocus Pocus, was remarkably lackluster (bias notwithstanding, it was pretty boring), i swore that i’d listen to whatever they released next. And this promise has rewarded me with Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds, possibly the best indie-dance record you will hear this year and easily the best Enon release since their mindfuck of a 2000 debut, Believo! (and since John’s the only member of the band left from that release, how much does that even count, really?).

While Hocus Pocus meandered through an uneven collection of mellow, midtempo nappytime tracks interrupted by the occasional burst of dance fever, Grass Geysers apparently benefits from the four-year layoff between new releases in that the band has come out of the gates as balls full of energy that have been waiting since ‘03 to go off. Thus, the record is nonstop high-impact driving rock from start to finish, demanding the listener to get the hell up off their ass and shake it.

All the trappings of an Enon release are still here; the band continues to mine the electro-influenced indie rock that has become their trademark. Synth sequences and effects pedals abound, anchored by rhythms that Matt and Toko establish with businesslike efficiency. All the while, Toko and John trade off lead vocal duties, making the most out of the complimentary textures of their accents (American midwest vs. Japanese).

It’s sort of difficult to pick a standout track or three on Grass Geysers, as there’s not a piece of filler in the whole disc. “Mirror on You” kicks things off with a minute-forty-six blast of atomic indie-funk and slams straight into “Colette” and the infectious, synth-bass-laden “Dr. Freeze.” Perhaps the catchiest track, though, is the majestic “Mr. Ratatatatat,” an epic fuzz-stomper that plays the trading vocals card expertly. I heard this song for the first time when Enon played the last day of Touch & Go’s 25 Anniversary Block Party at the Hideout in Chicago last September; that i recognized it immediately as a song i had heard once before during a live show a year prior should be sufficient evidence of its infectiousness.

If there’s any justice, Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds will be at the fingertips of every hipster with a half-assed DJ night at every local dive in every artsy soon-to-be-gentrified neighborhood in America. The record is made to be played loud, in public, with many bottles of Blatz or Pabst being consumed with the prospect of random hook-uppery looming at the evening’s precipice. Look, simply put: this is party music–i can’t think of anyone i know who wouldn’t like this record, least of all a snotty music nerd douchebag with indie-band ADD who, were it not for an unspoken one-sided pact made years ago, would have foolishly given up on these guys already. Enon, you motherfuckers, are BACK.

Release Date: Oct. 9th, 2007
Label: Touch & Go Records

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