Too often, the loop pedal is a gimmick that compensates for shortchanging songwriting — not so with El Ten Eleven. The Los Angeles duo of bass player Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty uses loop pedals in a mellifluous way that recalls Andrew Bird's sample-based, one-man orchestra. The group's instrumental post-rock occasionally brings to mind Tortoise or the Album Leaf but just as often indulges its inner Daft Punk with thumping electronic beats performed live by Fogarty on an array of synth triggers. Dunn is also an innovator on the two-headed bassitar, coaxing arpeggios out of the guitar neck while tapping the bass neck. It's a sight to behold but also a sound to get lost in.
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