eleventhfloorrecords – S/T
No, not a record label but for the love of God why would anybody name themselves eleventhfloorrecords ? It’s only inviting trouble. The answer has to do with two separate musicians coming together and the room that they collaborated in was on the eleventh floor. But, I’m writing a review here, not a bio! If you need to know the answer, go to the n5MD website.
eleventhfloorrecords are from Malmo, Sweden and make what I like to call ‘nugaze’, which is to say a modern, synthesizer or software-driven take on the old shoegaze scene. All the ingredients are there, wall of sound, buried vocals and melodies you could cheerfully let yourself fall backwards into and know you’ll be carried along. This duo reminds me a lot of m83 and other similar acts such as Maps . The vocals are washed out echoes but the music fizzes and zaps along like there’s no tomorrow. Together with producer Scott Worley (of Jatun ), eleventhfloorrecords have managed to create an impressive, exciting album that avoids the pitfalls of Maps and m83’s most recent efforts; eleventhfloorrecords is easy on the ear without being sugary, consistent without being repetitious and thankfully doesn’t wallow in self-pity.
Opening piece – ‘My Ultimate Friend’ is a rocket-fuelled scene setter but better work will follow. ‘Five Days’ reveals the duos capabilities at an early point in the album. This one drives forward with pulsating momentum. ‘Jassafraine’ is another solid highlight but for me the outstanding piece here is the swaggering ‘Halfway’. On the surface, it is as pretty as anything else on the album but beneath the style there is substance galore. Sassy, Motown soul – this might be how Twilight Singers might sound if re-mixed by the likes of Jonas Munk ( Manual ) or the legendary port-royal .
eleventhfloorrecords easily surpasses the recent m83 effort but that isn’t saying enough. How about if I say that this album is probably my electronic release of the year? The croaky, spectral vocals may not be for everybody. (Think Joy Division’s ‘The Eternal’) but this doesn’t detract for me. Put simply, I love Swedish music and this album is no exception.