El Ten Eleven : El Ten Eleven

Post Rock? What the fuck does that term even mean. I hear people (read: music writers) using it left and right. When I hear the term I can get a grasp on what it is that they are talking about, but I just don’t understand why that term is used. Is it supposed to mean that rock is dead or is that the sound of rock is going to be like when rock finally is dead? Why don’t they just think of another name for it or say that it is music for fans of Tortoise? Oh well, I’m ranting. Moving on, let’s talk about El Ten Eleven’s self-titled debut.

This LA based duo of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty play their own quirky little brand of chilled out lounginess. Leave it to the slithering essence of “My Only Swerving” to create feelings of loopiness in your brain while “Sorry About Your Irony” is all the more superior due to its spaciness. “Lorge” spans out into the bubbly on the rocks aura that we’ve all seen at a Yo La Tengo concert, as the cinematic shuffle in “1969” makes for a delightful as well as liliting rhythm.

Ambient layers in “Thinking Loudly” can be amicably moody while a some of the way that the album proceeds after that veer into a sort of intergalactic jazz rhythms. Also numbers like “Connie” and “Bye Mom” are good for the crowd who likes to indulge into some obscuro and placid drum and bass. While the album may be packaged as a full length it comes off as more of an EP. And the term post-rock has no meaning. Duos like this just like to play around on their instruments and the end result can be a soothing and chimed without being post-anything.

Similar Albums:
Sound Tribe Sector 9 – Artifacts
To Rocco Rot – Music is a Hungry Ghost
Gastr Del Sol – Upgrade and Afterlife