An album as twistingly unpredictable, expansive, and
luminous as the subject matter within, El Ten Eleven's fifth
studio full-length album,Transitions, will be self-released by
the band on their Fake Record Label onNovember 6. Sounding
more like the work of six musicians rather than the instrumental duo of
doubleneck bass/guitar virtuoso Kristian Dunn and
acoustic/electronic drummerTim Fogarty, the seven-track LP is chock full
of the band's trademark guitar trickery, mesmerizing looping, shape-shifting
tempos, intricate time signatures and melodic pop arrangements but also
features them experimenting with new sonics, hip-hop drum beats and longer song
structures. The album will be preceded by a 7-inch featuring first single"Yellow
Bridges" backed with b-side "3K" on September
11.
El Ten Eleven has just launched a Kickstarter where
fans can pre-order the single, album and purchase some premiums like a limited
edition lithograph, autographed vinyl copy of the record, music lessons from
the guys or a helicopter ride and lunch with Dunn who is a licensed
pilot.
Transitions was recorded and produced by El Ten
Eleven, with the help of mix engineer Chris Cheney, at Hollywood's Sage
and Sound Studios this past December. While between tours, Dunn and
Fogarty cranked out a series of songs that encapsulated the major events that
had been happening in their lives. "Tim and I have been through a lot in
the past couple of years," Dunn explains. "We've both been divorced,
moved to different cities, Tim went through some really dark times, I got
remarried and had a kid... for a while things were uncertain. We threw
ourselves into the new record."
The subject matter of Transitions was heavy
enough to warrant longer, more complicated songs such as the title track,
"Transitions" a 10-minute roller coaster of unpredictable
twists, turns and guitar heroics that plays out like several movements stitched
together as one. As the song dips and dives it eventually builds to a
triumphant crescendo that's like the sun coming out after a month long
storm.
Although an instrumental band, El Ten Eleven has never
really prescribed to the loud/soft post-rock mechanics or bloated arrangements
often associated with the genre and are more in line with contemporaries like
Maserati, Trans Am and Holy Fuck than the post-rock instrumentals of Explosions
in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. El Ten Eleven's compositions
instead are more like pop songs with definable verses and choruses, albeit with
memorable guitar licks in place of lyrics. While some of the songs are indeed
the most technically complex of the band's career, the duo's ability to to
write catchy, emotional hooks hasn't been lost on Transitions. On
the track, "Thanks Bill," an ode to Alcoholics
Anonymous founder Bill Wilson, shimmering, circuitous guitar lines interweave
while a mix of drums and electronic percussion collide resulting in a hypnotic,
euphoric melody.
First single, "Yellow Bridges," surges
along like a car racing through the night across one of the many yellow bridges
that dot Fogarty's hometown of Pittsburgh. The cheekily named "No One
Died This Time!" celebrates Dunn's new wave and post-punk
upbringing with a charged second half that wouldn't sound out of place between
New Order and The Cure on the dance floor. The '80s nostalgia continues on "Tiger
Tiger," a reinterpretation of Duran Duran's 1983 synth-pop
instrumental which features Dunn manipulating his guitar to sound like a synthesizer.
Album closer "Lullaby" is as soothing and evocative
as its name implies.
Transitions is just the next chapter in El Ten
Eleven's impressive journey which has included the self releasing of four
albums, a handful of singles and more than 600 performances, including many
headline tours, main support runs and festival appearances, over the last
decade. Despite several label offers, the band has chosen to remain
independent, cultivating and growing a devoted fanbase with their singular
sound and a truly jaw-dropping live show.
Much of the band's popularity has come from Gary Hustwit's
award winning design documentary trilogy of "Helvetica,"
"Objectified" and "Urbanized," which featured music from El
Ten Eleven and original score from Dunn. The band's music has proven a favorite
to use on the small screen and radio as well with programs like "The Real
World," "Chopped," "CSI Miami," MTV's "Video
Music Awards," NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Market
Place" and Lexus utilizing songs from across the band's diverse
catalog.
El Ten Eleven have been debuting their new material all
summer at festivals such as Capitol Hill Block Party, Summer Meltdown and Camp
Bisco and will embark on a tour in the fall to coincide with the album's
release. All tour dates and on sale info will be announced on
Friday.
Watch a live performance of "Thanks Bill" recorded
for Converse at SXSW:
El Ten Eleven
Transitions
(Fake Record Label)
Street Date: November 6, 2012
Track List:
1. Transitions
2. Thanks Bill
3. Yellow Bridges
4. No One Died This Time!
5. Birth
6. Tiger Tiger
7. Lullaby
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