El Ten Eleven Tautology Colored Vinyl 3LP
 
Experiencing an unexpected tragedy or loss often provokes a period of self-reflection, a time to contemplate one's own place and purpose in the world. That was true for El Ten Eleven's Kristian Dunn. When a beloved family member passed, Dunn found his own reflections on life emerging in the music he composed.
 
Those expressions led to the creation of Tautology – a sonic meditation on the arc of human life, composed in three parts. Over the course of three discs, Tautology is, in Dunn's words, "a representation of life from the teenage years, through middle-age, until the end of life." The sounds echo Dunn's own experiences, veering from aggressive metallic riffs to blissful ambient soundscapes.
 
And while there are shared melodies and harmonies through all three records, each one has its own distinct qualities: Tautology I, which represents adolescence, is angsty, aggressive and occasionally depressive; Tautology II is head-noddy and mid-tempo, and represents middle age; while Tautology III, quiet and ambient, represents one's golden years.
 
The music on the first disc, Tautology I, has a heavier sound that might surprise longtime El Ten Eleven fans. "I wanted to represent what my teenage years were like, when I was full of testosterone and depression," says Dunn. "When you're a teenager everything feels so grandiose and dramatic." The album's second movement reflects Dunn's current state. "I'm middle-aged now, and this is the happiest I've ever been.
 
Issued here as a triple vinyl LP set, Dunn explains there's no right or wrong way to listen to Tautology, suggesting that a deep dive into the full project will yield rewards: "I think someone could listen to any one of the discs by themselves and have a really great experience – even if they didn't know about the others. But if they do want to go deeper, I think there will be a lot of interesting stuff to discover. It works symbolically and it all connects. I think this is the best record we've ever done."
 
El Ten Eleven Tautology Track Listing:
 
LP1
 
1. Entropy
2. With Report
3. Jejune
4. Moral Dynamite
5. Division
6. Lassitude
 
LP2
 
1. Besotted
2. Shimmer
3. Nocturne
4. The Silent Bell That Rings
5. Half Mast
6. Queen's Gambit
7. Growing Shorter
 
LP3
 
1. Farrago
2. Caducity
3. You Are A Piece of Me, You Are a Piece of Her
4. Aubade
5. Let's All Go Out Like Francis
6. Senescent
7. All of This Bliss Doesn't Come Without a Price