Ohio's Brainiac concocted a surreal hybrid of new wave and industrial music. Abandoning the punk-rock verve of their Devo-inspired debut album Smack Bunny Baby (1993), the short demented songs of Bonsai Superstar (1994), featuring new guitarist John Schmersal, revealed a lighter, gentler version of Pere Ubu, the Pixies and Sonic Youth. Chaotic and retro`, that album capitalized on those masters' innovations but, thanks to Tim Taylor's naive synthesizer and to a childish aesthetics, discarded the apocalyptic overtones. Hissing Prigs In Static Couture (1996) was a better organized madhouse, despite the relentless, frantic chaos.

Formed in 1992 in Dayton, Brainiac debuted with the single Super Duper Seven (Limited Potential, 1992). Smack Bunny Baby (Grass, 1993) exposed a chaotic blend of distinguished influences. I Fuzzbot recycles the sonic impact of Girls Vs Boys, Devo-grade dementia and Jesus Lizard-ian fractured riffs, and releases a grunge-pop refrain over the mess. The same balance of catchiness, syncopation and aggression permeates Martian Dance Invasion. An even harsher combination of psychotic ranting, angular riffs and industrial noises propels the Pere Ubu-ian modern dance of Cultural Zero. Sonic Youth-ian strident geometries pierce Brat Girl.
On the more melodic front, Nirvana's aching riffs echo inside Hurting Me. The silly rigmaroles of Ride and I Could Own You rely on power-pop progressions. Smack Bunny Baby and Anesthetize best display their ability at manipulating cliches such as Ramones-ian punk-rock and Cramps-ian psychobilly in a frantic, demented way. The tragic element that underlies even more the most comic moments comes out fully in Draag, a song anchored to desperate screams, Black Sabbath-ian riffs and sinister tempos.
Tim Taylor's style at the synth recalls the most surreal moments of Pere Ubu's Ravenstine. Guitarist Michelle O'Dean (or Bodine) follows Lee Ranaldo's dissonant manual of harmony.

Bonsai Superstar (Grass, 1994), with John Schmersal replacing O'Dean (now in O-Matic) and more sophisticated electronic effects, leaves behind the youthful verve of their debut album and sails towards more adventurous lands. The noise-rock aesthetics of the previous album still permeates the fractured anthems Radio Apeshot, You Wrecked My Hair and Sexual Frustration, not to mention the clownish voodoobilly frenzy of Juicy and To The Baby Counter; but the mongoloid litany of Hot Metal Doberman's (reminiscent of Trio's Da-da-da-da, the Nine Inch Nails-ian psychodrama of Fucking With The Altimiter, the subdued shuffle of Flypaper, the grotesque David Thomas-ian dance of Status Choke, paint eerie soundscapes of extreme psychological devastation; and prove that the rhythm section of Tyler Trent (drums) and Juan Monasterio (bass) has grown tremendously. Taylor's synth pens each ditty with a different touch of madness, which combines superbly with the guitar's rancid lines and the horrid semi-vocals.

Dopo l'EP Internationale (Touch & Go), con il pop isterico di Go Freaks Go, Hissing Prigs In Static Couture (Touch & Go, 1996) accentua, se possibile, la demenzialita` prevaricante dei primi due dischi. Pussyfootin' si avventa come una versione sgangherata di Should I Stay Or Should I Go cantata in un falsetto isterico, Vincent Come On Down fa girare un ritornello ancor piu` psicotico su una base strumentale ancor piu` esagitata, Bee Keepers Maxim si pavoneggia a passo di marcia come in un dramma brechtiano, Kiss Me You Jacked-Up Jerk e` un girotondo scollacciato e volgare di matti che delira oltre misura, e Nothing Ever Changes intona un epico slogan con il piglio tragicomico di Zappa. Registri canori da subnormali e veemenza hardrock si complementano in maniera infernale. Quando il tempo rallenta, emergono lied subliminali come Fancy Neckwear, che hanno un'armonia estremamente sgretolata e melodie appena bisbigliate, e sceneggiate al tempo stesso sarcastiche e drammatiche come This Little Piggy. Quando i parametri del sound trovano un precario equilibrio e si fa luce nel disordine pantagruelico delle loro partiture, sembra di ascoltare i Fall (Hot Seat). Ma la tradizione e` quella dei Pere Ubu e dei Devo, aggiornata a un umore meno tragico e piu` sfrenato.

Il mini-CD Electro-Shock For President ricorre ancor piu` massicciamente al sintetizzatore. Il suono e` freddamente digitale, la recitazione piu` psicotica che mai. Il loro stile e` ormai un esercizio insistito di atmosfera, e certamente piu` prossimo alla new wave degli anni '70 (e al kraut-rock) che al rock alternativo degli anni '90. La musica "noir" di Fresh New Eyes prende lo spunto dalla new wave di vent'anni prima (i Pere Ubu in versione espressionista) ma tutta l'enfasi e` sul racconto, come negli psicodrammi di Nine Inch Nails. Una suspence maniacale attanaglia anche la confessione sottovoce di The Turnover, lacerata da un sibilo intermittente e da feroci scosse elettriche. L'armonia si disgrega ulteriormente nell'abstract post-industrial sound-painting di Fashion 500, tutta bollicine e dissonanze e sillabe in frenetica liberta`, come gli atomi di un gas. Sono brani in cui prende forma un'arte dell'affresco sonoro astratto ma pur sempre dotato di una trama. Il rock demenziale delle origini si riconosce soltanto nella concitata Mr Fingers.

Tim Taylor e` morto in un incidente automobilistico il 23 maggio 1997 all'eta` di ventott'anni.

Tim Taylor died in a car accident in may 1997. He was only 28.

Brainiac guitarist John Schmersal moved to New York, formed John Stuart Mill, and released Forget Everything (SeeThru Broadcasting, 1999), an album that picks up right where Brainiac left off. The sound is mellower and the instrumentation is arcane, the pace is drugged and the riffs are uncertain, but the result is another dadaistic pastiche of genre remakes.

Brainiac's guitarist John Schmersal, hidden behind the moniker Enon and assisted by Skeleton Key's Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon, continued the band's epic with Believo (See Thru Broadcasting, 2000), a set of catchy tunes flooded with cacophonies (Biofeedback, Elected, For The Sum Of It) and a few rap-ballads a` la Beck (Rubber Car).

Enon's second album, High Society (Touch And Go, 2002), gives up too much of that repertory of tricks. Guitarist John Schmersal is now flanked by bassist Toko Yasuda (Blonde Redhead) and drummer Matt Schulz. The songs are far more regular, leading off with Old Dominion (featuring a crunchy riff a` la Cream and a John Lennon-ian bridge) and peaking with the manic punk-pop of Pleasure And Priviledge. The combination of Schmersal's hard-rock guitar riffs and cheesy vintage keyboards is occasionally intriguing (Carbonation) and experimental (the industrial dance of Salty) The Japanese singer increases the similarities with Blonde Redhead (In This City, their signature song) and with the Japanese retro-pop contingent of Cibo Matto, and Pizzicato Five (Disposable Parts, Shoulder). Half-hearted stabs at pop stereotypes (Natural Disasters, Sold, High Society) do not help. In the end one is left with the impression of yet another alternative band chasing mass-market success. Whether they also have talent and ideas rests to be seen.

Enon's third album Hocus Pocus (Touch & Go, 2003) tips its hat to trip-hop (Shave, sung by Yasuda), epic soul (the Hendrix-ian Storm the Gates), hard-rock (Utz), power-pop (The Power of Yawning), pop balladry (Candy), and even Japanese folk music (Mikazuki), while maintaining the intellectual stance of the new wave. What a stylistic mess. Stance aside, the more original songs are merry-go-rounds of arrangements that enhance the singer's narrative skills: Daughter in the House of Fools (sung by Yasuda), that relies on lo-fi sonic events, or Starcastic, a skewed song in the tradition of Pixies and Breeders with a cute interplay of the two singers.

Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence (Touch & Go, 2005) collects rarities and singles, including pre-Yasuda material such as Fly South (1998), Marbles Explode, Party Favor.

Enon's poppy Grass Geysers Carbon Clouds (Touch And Go, 2007), probably under the influence of the success of
Blonde Redhead, marked a sharp departure from their original aesthetic. The radio-friendly songs (Mirror on You, Mr Ratatatat, Pigeneration) are easily forgotten, and the "experimental" songs of the second half would not have made it to Enon's classic albums. Toko Yasuda's vibrant, dancing bass is perhaps the most interesting element to come out of this album.