Stage Buzz: Eleventh Dream Day
When IE talked to Eleventh Dream Day for our coulda-been-contenders “If We Could Turn Back Time” January 2010 cover story, Rick Rizzo characterized his band’s ill-fated turn on Atlantic Records as a positive. He didn’t mention they misplaced a whole album.
Part of the college-rock generation that barely predated grunge rock (and included Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, and Camper Van Beethoven, among others), it’s difficult to categorize their tenure on a major label as anything but a success. After two albums that didn’t match the indie success of Prairie School Freakout, the staff that backed them at Atlantic (including future Thrill Jockey founder Bettina Richards) defected to rival London and left them at Atlantic with no one who gave two shits about EDD.
In 1991, their contract dissolved due to mutual inaction. Undeterred, the band set about recording with Brad Wood without label support. To their surprise, Atlantic returned to the table and the band would release El Moodio . . . a record whose mediocre sales performance would lead to a more definitive severance from the majors. The music recorded with Wood, however, remained vaulted until only recently, and has now been presented as New Moodio with the help of Comedy Minus One and Shellac‘s Bob Weston. Though the official Moodio sonically shows attempts at being more friendly, the Wood sessions — which include a number of songs that didn’t make the Atlantic version, plus some never-ever-heards — present the band in a fairly raw state, dated though that might sound today. (Tuesday@Hideout.)
— Steve Forstneger
Category: Featured, Live Reviews, Weekly
