Enon

Enon comprises the three-piece lineup of John Schmersal, previously active in Brainiac and John Stuart Mill, together with Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon, both drawn from Skeleton Key. Much like Olivia Tremor Control, the group delves into the broad expanse separating pop and rock structures from pure noise, drawing on abundant samples, industrial audio manipulation, and rhythms that edge into a dense, dish-smashing clamor. Though less oriented toward the melodic approaches of the 1960s and 1970s than Olivia Tremor Control, their layered textures often conceal introspective, eccentric pop songs. Formed initially as Schmersal’s solo project, Enon issued a handful of independent singles before he relocated to New York and joined forces with Calhoon and Lee. After Calhoon departed, Toko Yasuda stepped in as replacement, and the addition of Matt Schulz elevated the ensemble to a quartet. The debut full-length Believo! surfaced in 2000 and confirmed the new configuration’s viability. High Society arrived in 2002 with the same personnel, yet adopted a brighter, quicker pace. The next year brought the In This City EP, a tour supporting the Faint, and Hocus Pocus, which steered the band toward electronic pop. Early 2005 saw the release of the B-sides anthology Lost Marbles and Exploded Evidence. In 2007 the group returned with Grass Geysers, Carbon Clouds, its first album in four years, fusing electronic, pop, and rock elements more fluidly than before. Enon disbanded in 2011, shortly before Schmersal and Lee reconvened to launch Crooks on Tape.