Eleventh Dream Day
Zeroes And Ones

As soon as I saw that out of about 11,000 reviews, there were no mentions of Eleventh Dream Day, I felt obligated to make a de-segmentation in their favor, and this fact also represents what has often happened in their career: little consideration.

If there were a ranking of the most underrated bands in the music scene of the last twenty years, they would rightfully be among the top positions, given that they have never managed to find success befitting the work they produced, even though they have often been praised by critics, even having a label like Atlantic (which, however, dropped them after two albums) and even collaborating with bands like Yo La Tengo.

Officially, the band has never disbanded, but in over twenty years, the partnership has experienced departures and periods of reflection, witnessed the birth of new projects that today have become significantly more important: drummer Janet Bean created the folk duo Freakwater, husband Rick Rizzo, singer and guitarist (co-founder along with his wife Janet, who, taken by dismay, even resumed university studies), now works with Red Red Meat, and bassist Douglas McCombs is with Tortoise.

Perhaps they have resigned themselves to success, perhaps for themselves the EDD are now a meeting place for old friends to honor a past youth rooted in Young's rock, or much more likely, it’s because other commitments have enriched them musically. But their latest works, if there was ever a need, have even more demonstrated their impeccable class, and this recording of theirs (released six years after their last effort) is no exception. On the contrary, "Zeroes And Ones" is, for many, the natural conclusion, the final representation of perfect maturation achieved after a long career, thus carving out a top-tier spot among this year’s releases, and this is evident from the opening track with "Dissolution", a splendid rock ride where McCombs' enchanting bass takes center stage, leading all the way to the simple yet engaging "Lately I've Been Thinking" and "Lost In The City", with nostalgic openings.

But what I consider the true gem and one of the best tracks of the year is "New Rules", nine moving minutes that begin with a poignant and deep bass (never letting us go) and the melodic duet between Bean and Rizzo, later accompanied by a soft choir, sweet guitars first, and then a captivating electric guitar solo.

Though the first part is preferred, "Zeroes And Ones" does not stop here, because besides having the merit of being a solid and complete album that feeds on good old classic rock, its lyrical themes primarily present contrasts such as weight and lightness, substance and the ephemeral, dream and reality. Perhaps precisely the dream that Eleventh Dream Day had in the early '80s and instead saw slip away.

They deserve a listen.

Regards, Addison.