Spot-On: El Ten Eleven

"A sort of Silverlake-style Sigur Ros, the L.A. duo makes experimental instrumental music that's both highly skilled and deeply felt... the duo's compositions take on an incredible musical and emotional complexity." - Spin



Listening to El Ten Eleven's sweeping track "Yellow Bridges," it almost seems impossible that such a full sound can come from just two people. Add to that the fact that this electro-tinged number has been crafted free of computerized help, and you've got yourself a deeply felt, incredibly organic approach to electronically enhanced music.

Taken off the duo's new album, Transitions, this track captures the joy and nostalgia that comes with returning home. "I grew up in Pittsburgh and no matter where you were driving, you'd cross a bridge," explains drummer Tim Fogarty. "This is our dedication to my hometown." Bassist/Guitarist Kristian Dunn agrees, "It's been a long journey for Tim from Pittsburgh to California and through all of the transitions lately in his life, thus the breadth and depth of the song."

We're thinking it's an appropriate track to send you off into the holiday weekend. And thanks to the band, you can grab it as a free download to take with you as you make your own trek across bridges and freeways. Should you have a long ride ahead of you, though, we'd suggest grabbing Transitions via iTunes to keep you company along the way!

The Buzz

"West coast duo El Ten Eleven make instrumental rock that's not boring. I swear. On the moody, dexterous 'Lorge,' the combo fluctuates between dreary and driving with ease." Entertainment Weekly

"El Ten Eleven's dense, textured instrumentals recall post-rock standard-bearers like Tortoise or the Mercury Program, except theirs are created by only two musicians and a whole lot of effects pedals." - LA Times

"Audiences are stunned and amazed that only two musicians can perfectly replicate the textures, nuances and fullness of their studio release." - Filter

“They drive somewhere between a roughed-up version of Sigur Rós and Ratatat you wouldn’t dare bring home to your parents.”
— Filter

“The act is a wonder to behold live, but on the group’s fourth album, the layered sound is just as hypnotic.”
— Los Angeles

“Bassist-guitarist Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty indulge in plenty of effects and loops to fill out their sound with glittering layers, but always keep the instrumentals focused on bright pulses and punchy hooks.”
— The Onion

“What El Ten Eleven does - as just two people -- is a thing of beauty and something that usually takes the hands of many more.”
— Daytrotter.com

“El Ten Eleven’s songs coalesce into head nodding, cog-spinning music machines.”
— LAWeekly.com

“Watching El Ten Eleven play is something like watching two superheroes do their thing.”
— SFWeekly.com

“These L.A. natives show us again that they may be post-rock, but they’re certainly pro-dance. Enthralling to watch and hypnotic to move to.”
— Brand X

“No duo anywhere is melded tighter than these two.”
— The Stranger

“Their third record, These Promises Are Being Videotaped, is packed full of danceable melodies that put Ratatat to shame.”
- Spin.com

“The double-neck guitar is the ultimate signifier of musical masturbation and phallocentric crotch rocking. That is, unless you’re El Ten Eleven, the post-rock duo from Los Angeles, who lay down simple rhythms, then wield the finished product as mechanized dance jams.”
- Flaunt

“Once the record stops, you want more, and more, and more.”
- Filter

“DFA 1979 and Ratatat are obvious antecedents, but these guys place a great emphasis on layering and manipulating loops on top of a consistently bodyrocking beat.”
- RCRDLBL.com

“Kraftwerk in the Sky.”
- The Onion

"Audience members (like myself) stare in amazement at the fury of Kristian’s fingers and feet... it makes the Polyphonic Spree seem like member-hoarding pussies."
- LA Alternative Press

“Your album hasn't left my CD player since last month.”
- Spiritualized

“Although El Ten Eleven haven't yet garnered the mainstream praise they deserve, their sophisticated sound earned them a prominent spot on the Helvetica (2007) soundtrack — and scores of new fans in the process.”
- Flavorpill

“Winning the prize for the most technically impressive band I’ve seen this year was L.A.’s El Ten Eleven. Dunn was often playing guitar and bass simultaneously on his double-necked guitar while his foot moved in a blur across effects and looping pedals. The coordination and precision was breathtaking without straying into gimmickry.”
- DenverPost.com

“Is as thoughtful as it is unconstrained as it is satisfyingly accessible.”
- Rochester City Paper

“Takes you on a cinematic journey, conjuring up vivid imagery through the power of effects pedal-induced atmospherics and sharp melodic arrangements.”
- Missoula Independent

"As anyone who’s ever seen the Soft Lightes can attest, Kristian and Tim are ridiculously good. El Ten Eleven’s songs are all lifts and falls, transitioning easily from mellow indie sounds to full-on bounce-worthy rock and back again all within the span of four minutes."
- OC Weekly

“Constructed extraordinary tunnels of sound using various effects pedals and sampled loops that they create on the fly. Just think Explosions in the Sky – but with a pulse.”
- Seattle Times

“Kristian finds some absolutely sick dance riffs on this one -- parts that would normally go to a synth and sound flat or tired sound explosive when played on live bass here. These dudes just keep getting better and better.” - Music For Robots

"West coast duo El Ten Eleven make instrumental rock that's not boring. I swear. On the moody, dexterous 'Lorge,' the combo fluctuates between dreary and driving with ease."
- Entertainment Weekly

"El Ten Eleven's dense, textured instrumentals recall post-rock standard-bearers like Tortoise or the Mercury Program, except theirs are created by only two musicians — and a whole lot of effects pedals."
- LA Times

“It might sound delusional to say the dude in El Ten Eleven is playing bass in a way that's never been done before, but if you've seen these guys live, you know it's not out of the question.”
- Arizona Daily Star

Links
http://www.elteneleven.com/
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https://twitter.com/ElTenEleven
http://www.purevolume.com/elteneleven