Enablers - The Rightful Pivot
by Paul Waller
published: 18 / 4 / 2015

Label:
Exile On Mainstream
Format: CD
intro
Mellow change-of-direction for Oakland post-punk band Enablers, which is damaged by singer Pete Simonelli’s overactive lyrics
Four years ago I heard Oakland’s Enablers for the first time. A friend suggested I check out the band’s ‘Blown Realms and Stalled Explosions’ album so I did and I have to admit to really finding a soft spot for it. I loved the abrasive post punk guitars and the focused lyrical approach that singer (talker) Pete Simonelli took. Yet it grew old fast. Maybe it’s the way that we consume music these days that lead to me burning myself out on them. You see, within days I had the band’s back catalogue and listened to little else. Then that same friend recommended that I gave the band Listener a try as they took the same vocal style but back tracked it with an emo folk musical ensemble. Well, I didn’t like them at all and shortly after I found Simonelli’s vocals too much as well. Maybe it was Listener’s fault I thought or maybe Enablers are simply a band that should be listened to in short bursts. Who knows? All I know is that our affair was intense and burned out quickly. But my old flame is back this year with an album entitled ‘The Rightful Pivot’. I could tell straight away that after listen number two I would want to move on and I was right. I am on listen number four now and I just want to turn it off. The major difference for less fairweather fans than I to rejoice in is that the musicians take are far more mellow approach to the songwriting this time around. And to be quite frank if the record was an instrumental effort I would have a hell of a lot more time for it. It’s a post-rock smash ,I kid you not. Yet that miserable chatter box Pete won’t let up. No matter how clever or intelligent the poetry is that Simonelli recites, it’s a total Marmite headfuck of a style that if you do not quickly feel attuned to will grate on you until you turn the damn fella off which is what I have done now. I will not return.
Track Listing:-
1 Went Right2 She Calls After You
3 The Percentages
4 Look
5 Solo
6 Good S**t
7 West Virginia
8 Enopolis
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Enablers/212885122067703http://www.enablerssf.com/
http://www.enablers.fr/Enablers.html
http://enablers.bandcamp.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enablers
Label Links:-
http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/bandcamp
reviews |
Tundra (2009) |
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Ambitious and unique, if somewhat monotonous third album of post-rock/spoken-word from San Francisco-formed band, Enablers |
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