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Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.

Swim Team, Freezepop, and Enon rock Brandeis

Published: November 18, 2005
Section: Arts, Etc.


With bouncy electronic beats and odd bass work reverberating through the speakers, Enon opened up their set in Levin ballroom with The Nightmare of Atomic Men. Enons entertaining, though rather brief, headlining set rounded out a wonderful line up for WBRSs annual Fall Fest show. Although the show was marginally attended, with the musical mastery of openers Swim Team and entertaining highlights of Freezpops set, the show truly stayed afloat.

Swim Team started the show off with a bang as Levin was filled with the sounds of peppy rock ditties and the joyous members of Swim Team shouting Brandeiss praises throughout their set. Despite the small numbers in the audience, the local indie rockers played their hearts out as if Levin were packed, giddily marching through highlights of last years Keep the Secret a Secret. The bands signature sound of surf rock, pop-rock melodies, and unique vocal work was brought to another level during their set thanks in part to the downright enthusiastic essence in the band members as well as the well-crafted songs they chose to play. After opening with a slow, harmonious rendition of John, Swim Team threw their energy into the set, getting members of the audience to dance along to Toyotathon and Lemons and Limes. After a grand unveiling of a new song by the group, with frontman Chris Hart proudly announcing that it was the first time it was being played in public, the band finished off their set rather strongly, cheerfully playing through Gangs Gonna Break and Big Head Explosion.

While Swim Team set the precedence as a hard act to follow, Freezepop managed to keep the ball rolling quite well. The local synth-pop trio jumped onstage with every intention to have as much fun as possible;

if that wasnt evident in their approach to greeting the audience, then it definitely was known with their opening number, a cover of Europes The Final Countdown, a song often hailed as one of the worst songs from the Eighties. With Freezepops Eighties synth-pop fetish in hand, they were the perfect band to round out the Louis Louis festivals Eighties Week. As Freezepop joyously played through their set, the growing crowd began to dance along;

soon enough, the crowd and band became one (almost), with keyboardist the other Sean T. Drinkwater jumping into a gigantic circle of dancing Brandeisians and programmer the Duke of Pannekoeken singing to members of the audience during Shark Attack and enjoying a little role-playing dance with junior Ethan Feuer. Whether or not the crowd could take Freezepop seriously, they sure knew how to entertain, aptly closing their set with a cover of Journeys Dont Stop Believin, much to the jubilation of the crowd.

After a rather rushed set up, Enon finally hit the stage to greet the awaiting members of a dwindling crowd. Although Enon coincidentally managed to bring the show to an interesting conclusion, combining indie rock, which Swim Team displayed during their set, well with synth-pop noise that Freezepop injected into every second of their act, the results were less stellar than those of the previous bands. While Enon did manage to play a rather solid set, their time on stage was slightly hindered due to their rather brief playing time and a certain lack of energy the band exerted in between songs. Still, the energy contained within Enons blistery noise-pop pieces managed to win members of the crowd over as drummer Matt Schulz carried the band through their set, hammering away at his pieces like a child and with its first drum set. The band delighted the crowd with highlights from the bands rather well-constructed catalog, from the bouncy pop beats driven by multi-talented musician Toko Yasuda like Daughter in the House of Fools to the punkish dance beat of the official closing number Pleasure and Privilege. Although the band came back to play one final piece after being coaxed into doing so by several members of the crowd, Enon managed to leave the crowd a little disappointed.

Although Enons short set was a slightly sub-par, WBRSs fall show was quite entertaining and provided an afternoon well spent for those who decided to show up. Despite the modest crowds, Swim Team, Freezepop, and even a worn-out Enon offered the crowd a relaxing study break complete with plenty of dancing and just plain enjoyable music. If anything, the most frustrating part of the concert wasnt the lack of enthusiasm by Enon, but the lack of enthusiasm from the Brandeis community;

while those who attended the concert were treated with a highly enjoyable concert, the rest of the Brandeis community, for one reason or another, missed out on one of the better lineups of bands to come to campus recently. While many students on campus are still feeling the crunch from work as finals approach the Brandeis community, the WBRS show was one three hour rush of entertainment that many shouldve seen as a great way to procrastinate.