Eleventh Dream Day, Zeroes And Ones (Thrill Jockey) 9
Having been around for 23 years, Eleventh Dream Day can safely be called dinosaurs. Though they'll never match the fire-in-the-belly energy of 1988's Prairie School Freakout, they've avoided stale irrelevance. After gracefully retiring from the major label rat race in the mid-90s, the band largely stopped touring, going back to day jobs, working on individual projects (Tortoise, Freakwater and solo albums) and releasing low-key indie albums. They've never released a bad album, but at times their studies in texture and mood threatened to drift away and evaporate, much like soulmates Yo La Tengo. Yet every year they would convene for local shows, amd played with boundless joy and energy. The chemistry remains intact, and they're so obviously enjoying themselves that they don't want to stop. And why should they? Their first album in six years, Zeroes And Ones is a slight return to their raging guitar-heavy era. As musicians and songwriters, they've evolved far beyond their initial influences of Velvets, Neil Young, Television, Gun Club, X and Dream Syndicate. The trade-off is that the youthful urgency is diminished. I'm sure this is for the best -- saving fans the embarrassment of watching a band try to relive their twenties. The sprawling guitar textures are immensely enjoyable, from rockers like "Insincere Inspiration" and the garage raveup "Lately I've Been Thinking," to the shimmering stretch of "New Rules." But I can't help but wish they took a few more risks and let loose a little more sweat and spittle. You'll just have to visit Chicago for that live experience. Damn I love this band.
