[Dizzy Storm]

an early review of End Note from Time Out, New York...

Enablers
End Note
(Neurot)

From Jim Morrison to Henry Rollins, overblown egos have frequently blemished the history of spoken-word rock. Far too often, the subgenre is characterized by some literary aspirant thoughtlessly eclipsing a trickle of forgettable background music. Thus it's quite a feat that San Francisco's Enablers have turned their poetry-topped instrumental workouts into life-affirming displays of beauty and fury.

Vocalist Pete Simonelli is a gritty, observant narrator rather than a verbose, exaggerated frontman. His clear enunciation, dry diction and controlled passion lend impact and credibility to smart, hard-boiled phrases that range from explicit ("You motherfuckers are goin' to jail") to exquisite ("The ice in her drink melts quicker than everyone else's"). Fortunately, he also knows when to shut up and bow to the tightrope-walking guitars of Joe Goldring (Swans, Toiling Midgets, Touched by a Janitor) and Kevin Thomson (Timco, Nice Strong Arm, Touched by a Janitor); their moody, intertwined meanderings unexpectedly erupt into wrenching, righteous convulsions that spew fire, mud and debris in all directions. Drummer Yuma Joe Byrnes (Tarnation, Broken Horse) exhibits similar finesse, effortlessly easing out of burly fits and into restrained patter, grazed by rim shots and fluttering, elongated rolls.

Recorded live in the studio, End Note equally stresses the importance of both Simonelli's texts and the band's expressive investigations of tension and release. Enablers' first-rate debut doesn't just raise the bar for verse-infused postpunk—it deftly rewrites the book.—Jordan N. Mamone