eleven eleven
the unlovable ep
© 2004 Empty JARS Publishing (883817000223)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
eleven eleven's new release "the unlovable ep" picks up where it's last full length "head" left off. with a remix of the head track "unlovable" and 5 previously unreleased recordings, the ep leads with british indie pop perfection a la the cure and ends r
tracks
- 1 unlovable
- 2 be there
- 3 suicide tuesday
- 4 beautiful
- 5 paper cut
- 6 voiceless a
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notes
the new eleven eleven release "the unlovable ep" showcases the two sides of eleven eleven. the ep commences with a remix of the cure inspired track "unlovable" from their spring 2004 release "head." the second track "be there" was recorded this summer for this release and recalls late 80's new order with it's singing layered guitar melody and floating vocal. the following track, "suicide tuesday," was originally recorded during the "head" sessions and exposes an early REM influence circa "murmur." this song is about the tug of war between responsibility and the rush of intentional irresponsibility and being "painfully aware" of the consequences. "beautiful" follows with a straight forward eleven eleven assault of overdriven fender amps and simple melody lines. it's lyrically about the frustration of feeling helpless and letting go of comfort zones. the next track in line, "paper cut," was also recorded during the "head" sessions. it's predominantly lead singer jeff giuliani layering rich synth lines over a flangey arpeggio with vocals mixed in a missile silo. the closing track once again finds jeff alone in the studio with nothing but a few hours left of darkness before the sun rises along with too many cups of coffee. the resulting track "voiceless a" is a my bloody valentine layer-fest of watery guitars and backward vocals that ends the ep in perfect form. eleven eleven is currently touring the nation supporting "the unlovable ep."
reviews
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Kick ass!!
author: Lauren HayesHey the CD was kick as my favorite song was Suicide Tuesday, deffinetly a CD that everyone needs :)
if you like your rock romantic, moody and dramatic...
author: cincinatti city beatIf forced to provide just one word to describe Eleven Eleven's sound, "textural" would probably be the best singular description. The Philadelphia quartet has been favorably compared to similarly toned sonic sculptors like The Cure, The Smiths, Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine, and with good reason. Eleven Eleven sports a Brit Pop sound that crackles with dark melodic energy while offering melancholy lyrics of brutal honesty and naked intimacy. Guitarists Jeff Giuliani and Eric Mallon weave a gorgeous tapestry of sound that is often more about atmospherics and mood than precisely fingered notes and phrases. Meanwhile bassist Will Kesling (a Cleveland native who replaced Eleven Eleven's original bassist nearly two years ago) and drummer Rich Franchetta (who's known Giuliani since the second grade and has never been in a band without the guitarist) combine to create an incredibly slippery rhythm section, with the former's graceful Jaco Pastorius influence and the latter's hammer-of-the-gods John Bonham appeal. The band's recently released Unlovable EP compiles a number of tracks recorded at the same sessions that produced last spring's Head album and shows Eleven Eleven's propensity for the layering of sound in the direction of the aforementioned Cure, early R.E.M. and other similarly minded '80s New Wave/Punk Pop texturalists. The band's profile has been raised through opening gigs for the likes of Phantom Planet, Cake, Depeche Mode and The Thrills, as well as performing on Carson Daly's show from the MTV Beach House, scoring a pair of songs on the movie soundtrack for Dummy (featuring Oscar winner Adrian Brody) and winning an unsigned band competition sponsored by CD Now. If you like your Rock romantic, moody and dramatic, Eleven Eleven might be your first hot find of 2005. (Brian Baker)
have masterfully taken their music taste...into a unique sound
author: amanda lee andersonThe Unlovable EP’s first track begins with a breakneck-speed, restless guitar solo—worthy of art-rockers Clinic or Radiohead, laid over heavy, spare bass drum beats. The track fills and swells and takes on a vaguely metallic edge, never slowing or losing intensity. The reverb echoes and swirls, but not so much that it would obscure the words about loving someone you just shouldn’t. But breakneck speed isn’t Eleven Eleven’s only strength. They are self-described mope-rockers who credit The Cure and Depeche Mode as influences but refuse to ride the wave of angry, jagged-sounding Cure devoteeism that populates most of today’s top hit charts, in the form of bands like Interpol, Hot Hot Heat or Mogwai. Instead, they rely on their thoughtful, slow guitar solos (like the one that begins “Paper Cut”) and their sparse instrumentals — simple, focused parts interspersed with synthesized strings and rich reverb — that back ingenuous lyrics. It is the lyrics, more so than anything else, that set Eleven Eleven apart — no veiled metaphors, no obscure literary or social references. Instead, they talk about feelings, so openly and honestly that the liner notes could belong to a better-than-passable emo band, one that doesn’t whine about high-school heartthrobs but about complexity of pain, constraint, love and goodbyes. Eleven Eleven have masterfully taken their music tastes and developed them into a unique sound. Their influences are audible, but only barely—mostly, all you hear is them, doing their own thing, and borrowing little from anyone else. And the result is pleasing.
Unlovable by Eleven Eleven makes me remember how much I liked Ten Ten, Simplemin
author: david smithDo you remember when “alternative rock” meant stuff like Simple Minds, the Wild Swans, the Hoodoo Gurus, and the Church? Before grunge, there existed a universe of pop-leaning bands with bright ideas and bright sounds, given to guitar anthems – whether they admitted it or not. They went for a big sound, often replete with reverb, and usually held to melodic verses and sing-along choruses. Sometimes you had the strains of a synthesizer in the background to heighten the romanticism of it all. Two overlooked bands of this era were Ten Ten and A Drop in the Gray, and Unlovable by Eleven Eleven makes me remember how much I liked those old bands. Surely you have to watch out for the sappy moments, but when these kinds of folks hit their marks you can’t help but give in a little and enjoy the guilty pleasure of their hooks. Eleven Eleven will appeal to the pop-minded. The music is lush, polished, and well produced. The title track begins with an REM-like riff that opens onto some soaring guitar work on top of a driving beat. You can imagine the singer closing his eyes and craning his head while he sings such lines as “Love won’t come from me tonight” and “Love won’t dress the wound tonight.” Once the chorus arrives, you know these guys have done their homework: it’s rousing and melancholy at the same time, catchy but not kitschy. Remember Cactus World News? Like that. Very well done here, in fact; “Unlovable” would make a nice single and years ago probably would have gotten the band college-radio airplay and an opening slot on a tour with, oh, the Connells or the Lucy Show or something. “Be There” has subtle, delayed electric guitar and strummed acoustic guitar, as well as dramatic synth strains. Its chorus could probably get the stadium crowd to melt into involuntary mouthing of the words “Won’t you be there.” It reminds me very much of the excellent “Young Manhood” by the Wild Swans. Then there’s “Suicide Tuesday,” which follows a similar tack as the others but feels a little bit too much like that song – its name escapes me – that goes “We were only freshman,” which used to get a lot of airplay (and I remember hearing piped into the bathroom at a movie theatre, which I have to say I hope never happens to Eleven Eleven). By the time you get to the cut called “Beautiful,” you start to feel like you’ve heard it already. The band doesn’t stray too far from its formula here. The ballad “Paper Cut” gives the very competent rhythm section a breather and puts the synth at the fore. The closer “Voiceless A” sounds like early, Celebration-era Simple Minds by dint of its studio experimentalism, its electronic beat, and its use of stereo delay. It’s quiet and mercurial, and it's typical in that albums of this ilk usually feature such a track – almost like a palette cleanser. And speaking of cleansing palettes, this EP would do that nicely once you’ve OD’ed on your Lightning Bolt or Deerhoof albums. - David Smith, 2/2/2005
the music is lush, polished and well produced.
author: david smith - delusions of adequacyDo you remember when “alternative rock” meant stuff like Simple Minds, the Wild Swans, the Hoodoo Gurus, and the Church? Before grunge, there existed a universe of pop-leaning bands with bright ideas and bright sounds, given to guitar anthems – whether they admitted it or not. They went for a big sound, often replete with reverb, and usually held to melodic verses and sing-along choruses. Sometimes you had the strains of a synthesizer in the background to heighten the romanticism of it all. Two overlooked bands of this era were Ten Ten and A Drop in the Gray, and Unlovable by Eleven Eleven makes me remember how much I liked those old bands. Surely you have to watch out for the sappy moments, but when these kinds of folks hit their marks you can’t help but give in a little and enjoy the guilty pleasure of their hooks. Eleven Eleven will appeal to the pop-minded. The music is lush, polished, and well produced. The title track begins with an REM-like riff that opens onto some soaring guitar work on top of a driving beat. You can imagine the singer closing his eyes and craning his head while he sings such lines as “Love won’t come from me tonight” and “Love won’t dress the wound tonight.” Once the chorus arrives, you know these guys have done their homework: it’s rousing and melancholy at the same time, catchy but not kitschy. Remember Cactus World News? Like that. Very well done here, in fact; “Unlovable” would make a nice single and years ago probably would have gotten the band college-radio airplay and an opening slot on a tour with, oh, the Connells or the Lucy Show or something. “Be There” has subtle, delayed electric guitar and strummed acoustic guitar, as well as dramatic synth strains. Its chorus could probably get the stadium crowd to melt into involuntary mouthing of the words “Won’t you be there.” It reminds me very much of the excellent “Young Manhood” by the Wild Swans. Then there’s “Suicide Tuesday,” which follows a similar tack as the others but feels a little bit too much like that song – its name escapes me – that goes “We were only freshman,” which used to get a lot of airplay (and I remember hearing piped into the bathroom at a movie theatre, which I have to say I hope never happens to Eleven Eleven). By the time you get to the cut called “Beautiful,” you start to feel like you’ve heard it already. The band doesn’t stray too far from its formula here. The ballad “Paper Cut” gives the very competent rhythm section a breather and puts the synth at the fore. The closer “Voiceless A” sounds like early, Celebration-era Simple Minds by dint of its studio experimentalism, its electronic beat, and its use of stereo delay. It’s quiet and mercurial, and it's typical in that albums of this ilk usually feature such a track – almost like a palette cleanser. And speaking of cleansing palettes, this EP would do that nicely once you’ve OD’ed on your Lightning Bolt or Deerhoof albums. - David Smith, 2/2/2005