I’m not a musician—just a music nerd. That’s a statement I make just about once a week, if not more often in the context of discussing this blog. People always want to know if I play an instrument. Surely, supergeeks don’t exist, right?

Well I am a supergeek. I still know very little about musical arrangement itself, save for what I learned as a kid while taking piano lessons and tidbits I picked up along the way. Though I may not be able to describe everything technically to a T, I’ve developed an ear for what I think is good. El Ten Eleven are one of those bands.

I have to credit two groups for laying the foundation for me being able to thoroughly enjoy Banker’s Hill. You might be able to guess one fairly easily—Mutemath of course. The second would be The End of the Ocean, a post-rock band who recently signed with Equal Vision Records. The former showed me what complex rhythms atop dreamy soundscapes are like. The latter showed me that instrumental rock music can occupy a middle ground between slow emotional build up and outright aggression, while still accomplishing both. El Ten Eleven embodies both of these concepts on Banker’s Hill.

I’ll be honest and say this is my first real foray into getting to know El Ten Eleven, who have existed in my musical peripheral vision since my sophomore year of college (I used to stalk friends on Last.FM—sorry Nic B, on the off chance you read this).

I’m in that awkward place where I don’t have a lot to say about a record other than I enjoy it. Banker’s Hill is enjoyable in a way that is both bouncy and moody, embodying the concepts I mentioned earlier. Sometimes it’s best to just say what the music reminds you of in situations like this, so that’s what I’ll do.

Banker’s Hill is nostalgic. I pick off pieces of my past in some of these songs. At one point I felt a feeling similar to when I listened to Lifehouse’s “Take Me Away”  (no seriously, listen to the intro). At another point in the same song (“Phenomenal Problems”) I found myself going back to the bounciness of tunes I liked in the garage/blues era—The Hives and The Vines dominating my boom box. “Walk Idiot Walk,” anyone? These are only moments of nostalgia though. Don’t worry, I’m not really comparing a post rock band to Lifehouse.

If this album had a color, it would be full of warm hues—a far cry from the black and white aesthetic propositioned by the album cover. The album as a whole is upbeat and optimistic. Sort of a louder Tycho, if you will. At this point, you’re probably starting to think this review is disjointed and contains too many shout outs, but deal with it! Honesty doesn’t always happen cohesively :).

You should definitely stretch your musical palette a bit and check out this album. It will probably be more enjoyable than you expect. Follow El Ten Eleven on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.