El Ten Eleven - These Promises Are Being Videotaped

Here comes another pay-what-you-want-for-me album, and this time it's the third LP from one of my all-time favorite bands. El Ten Eleven is a simply a drummer (Tim Fogarty), a bassist (Kristian Dunn), and a lot of pedals, and before now their sound was technical but heavily melodic. Each song, though sometimes involving quick tapping and low power chords, was pleasantly dreamy and used looping to build on soothing harmonics and bass lines.

These Promises Are Being Videotaped is a dance album, but still maintains the instrumentation and virtuosity. Fogarty's beats are hastier and provide the constant thump omnipresent in the modern club, and Dunn's playing comes out more as a square wave than a sine. It all comes together brilliantly but keeps a bit of ground from territory already ruled by groups like Ratatat and MSTRKFT. Unlike the latter two, El Ten Eleven performs and records all the layers of its tracks.

But sometimes the new formula is forgotten. Fat Gym Riot is reminiscent of the described past, and on such a short album, it's surprising to find a cover of Paranoid Android that emulates with a few intentionally missed pitches. What El Ten Eleven has done is evolve, which is extremely pleasing. I would have treasured another Every Direction is North, but now I'm genuinely impressed. These Promises isn't an easily accessible piece of electronic pop, but it's destined to be enjoyed by fans of post rock and will probably garner a few remixes (Boys Noize?).