In the grand tradition of
Neil Young
,
Eleventh Dream Day
are a band who revel in the joy of turning up their amps and letting
Rick Rizzo
's guitar summon a gale of eloquent noise. (
Rizzo
has never shied away from acknowledging
Young
as an influence.) And also like
, they know the value of taking a more subtle approach sometimes. On 2021's
Since Grazed
, they've made an album that feels like their variation on
Harvest
or
After the Gold Rush
. It's not devoid of electric guitar workouts, yet a noticeably more contemplative and atmospheric tone pervades the material, and the lyrics are deeply introspective; this is music that seemingly came from people who spent a lot of time alone with their thoughts, and since this was created at
EDD
's usually leisurely pace (arriving six years after 2015's more raucous
Works for Tomorrow
) and it was written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (which is referenced in "Tyrian Purple"), that's probably not far off from the truth. That said, if the feel of this music is often dark, it's not doomstruck, and there is a quiet but fierce rage to live in these songs --
's world may be in chaos, but they haven't surrendered, and for all the space in this album, it's more than full enough to be satisfying.
Janet Beveridge Bean
's drumming and
Douglas McCombs
' bass give the performances a solid foundation,
's guitar is superb whether it's chiming or roaring, and the grain of his voice -- weary, cautious, but revealing a sense of purpose and a clear eye - has rarely been better served than on these recordings.
Bean
, who sings lead "Matter" and "Wish Too Far," is also in excellent form here, and her backing vocals wind themselves around
's leads beautifully.
Mark Greenberg
, who produced and engineered the album as well as lending his instrumental skills, more than earned his paycheck for this project. Fans who were hoping for another dose of strong rock & roll like
may have to adjust their expectations, but
is a great and rewarding effort from a band that will seemingly always deserve more attention than they get, but never let down the loyal followers who are paying attention. ~ Mark Deming