Review - Eleventh Dream Day – Works For Tomorrow

Eleventh Dream Day – Works For Tomorrow (Thrill Jockey)

LP / CD / DL

Out Now

8 / 10

Veteran Indie rockers release their new album. 

To say that Eleventh Dream Day is an album of good old rock n roll would be an understatement.  The ten tracks included here by Chicago’s Eleventh Dream Day unwind effortlessly from blues to rock to metal in a surprisingly good album.

It’s fair to say that the female vocals of Janet Beveridge Bean are maybe a shock on opener Vanishing Point, and that’s probably sexist view, but it remains that it wasn’t expected.  It also makes it a superb beginning.  Her voice is raw and loud and perfect and the rolling pace of the track can’t be criticised.

And so the album continues, exchanging vocalists throughout its thread of thoroughly entertaining Indie rock/pop the album propels itself through effervescence showing how to make a great album.

A great album it is too.  It maybe won’t make them international superstars, but one gets that feeling that they really wouldn’t give a monkeys anyway.  This is a quintet having a blast and making top sounds along the way.  Cheap Gasoline is a hark back to the psychedelia of the 60s and 70s and as such is one of the album highlights.  Its chorus is gripping as is that of Snowblind, a rockier affair with stabbing bassline and more superb vocals from Bean.

Formed around 1983, the band gained critical acclaim with 1988s Prairie School Freakout which resulted in a deal with Atlantic Records.  Sadly, critical acclaim doesn’t always mean commercial success and following four more albums they were dropped from the label.

On Works For Tomorrow ironically things may be ‘lucky for some’ on their thirteenth release.  It oozes with passion and energy and sounds like a bunch of kids making music for the first time.  Their vitality has to be admired and the resulting album is a minor triumph.  Go Tell It brushes with the blues and has a quite stunning guitar solo to boot.

The Unknowing slows the pace and sits perfectly before the gorgeous rolling drums of Deep Lakes which provides a dreamy interlude before closer End With Me rocks it all up again.

Links
Thrill Jockey 
Eleventh Dream Day website
Eleventh Dream Day on Facebook


Published on Louder Than War 2/08/15 - here

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