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Enola Fall Collaborations music review
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Enola Fall We Never Sleep
Artgemelo
Originally known as “Melatonin” the talented 3-piece Tasmanian band is formed by drummer Adam D’Andrea, bass player Kieran Holm and singer/guitar player Joe Nuttfall. The Indie-folk sound based trio formed in early 2001 and released their self-titled, experimental debut-CD before ever actually touring and establishing a fan base. How is this possible many may ask? Well their premiere album was primarily something of experimental music, composed mainly of eclectic noises and sound samples that intrigued and pleased the occasional listener.
A year later the band added a guitarist/sound effects specialist, Matthew Moller. Moller was a fan that attended a live performance of the band with around 800 other college-aged fans and decided to be so bold and brazen enough to ask to join in. The band accepted and after their initial release, and also some heaving touring, the newly numbered band released ‘The City and The Sea’ in 2002.
The succeeding release emerged as a more bit dark and desolate with some melancholy lyrics and a more barren sound that was recorded entirely at a home which the band whimsically calls “Fog’s Hill”. After the recording of this release the band built an even larger following and began to produce a more encroaching and intensified sound. Around this time the band also opted to add another member, Psam Parsons on keyboard and modeling, with some samples and back up singing thrown in.
In 2003 Melatonin finally becomes Enola Fall and subsequently gathered a large following of Australian fans. In this year the band released ‘It Always Come to This’ and also had many of their first time career highlights such as hitting the charts, playing large festivals and the personal premier of recording live sets. Soon after in 2004 the band was encompassed in touring and also the re-adjustment of the band with the departure of members Moller and Parsons, which once again left the three original and talented Australian band members.
So now that we got the biography out of the way, flash to the here and now of 2005. The band is beginning to emerge in the U.K. and U.S and spread their delightful sound nationally. The kind folks at The ARTillery promotions reached as far west to Los Angeles to promote their sound and luckily upon hearing Enola Fall I was immediately smitten. Something that rarely happens but when it does it flows over the musical part of my soul like honey. They’ve been compared to a hodgepodge of Bright Eyes, Sigur Ros, Coldplay and Radiohead, and although this can be heard, mainly what shines through is their soft, pleasant instrumentation and unique, passionate, bus also simple, lyrics.
The album opens with ‘Aubade’ a brief but haunting instrumental rift that lovingly lingers to the ears. At a mere one minute and thirty nine seconds it’s concise but an excellent opener with the use of muted trumpet, low-key piano and gentle guitar that is soothing to the ears. The following track ‘Hope Against Hope’ reminds me of old-school Radiohead, for it is soft, enchanting and harmonically pleasing to hear with a sort of whining/crying type singing.
My favorite track on the album, ‘Brief Lives’ is so catchy and happily portrayed with somewhat foreboding lyrics: “Oh I have reached the end of all I know, still it seems we move around inside our dreams”. Although ‘Brief Lives’ may be my favorite piece, the real talent is most evident in track number five ‘Jerusalem’. ‘Jerusalem’ is nothing short of powerful, commanding, hypnotic and really a musical masterpiece that shines. It’s very pleasantly followed by an almost perfectly matched accompanying tune ‘Switch off, Switch off’. It’s a peaceful, melancholy ballad with a dominant bass rift and a repeating instrumentation that leaves you mesmerized.
‘The Ocean in your room’ is a short piece full of creepy piano sounds and background emergency information that you would hear before take off on a flight. It reminds me of something I would hear in a distorted dream, a Silent-Hill type video game, or some nightmare carnival – and I love it for these reasons.
Overall We Never Sleep is a pretty solid album. What it lacks in durability it makes up in sheer effort and under-dog points for the ever-changing Indie listeners. It’s polished, winning and an overall gratifying album. For three guys that aren’t presently know world-wide they seem to be teetering on the verge of a breakthrough moment, and for that they’re definitely worth giving a listen to.
