El Boxeo
Awake & Dreaming
Suburban Sprawl Music

Do the words El Boxeo sound familiar to you? It should, seeing as how they were featured in a download write up back on July 14th. It’s been long enough between then and now for you to have gone out of your box and given them a listen, but for those of you who haven’t, here’s another plea.

For those of you who do not know random words in Spanish, El Boxeo means boxing. It’s also the name of a trio from Livonia, Michigan that play mainly of violin, drums and bass (not to be confused with drum n’ bass). This setup is what makes the band truly unique. There is no guitar anywhere to be found, and for that I am quite pleased. With the full sound El Boxeo is able to create, there isn’t really a need for anything else.

The violin hooks begin right away, creating a dreamscape for you to listen to the album in. It’s the perfect soundtrack to go along with life, whether you are driving around town, or even just lying on the floor staring at the ceiling. This was also evident on one of El Boxeo’s previous recordings entitled Songs from an Unwritten Play about Giant Birds (on a related parenthetical note, someone please write this play). The songs lead you through different stages of listening with each change of pace and melody. You’ll quickly go from “Jumping Down a Never-Ending Staircase” to “Chopping Up Vampires” in no time at all. But isn’t that the way most dreams are?

Most of Awake & Dreaming shows off El Boxeo’s post-rock, instrumental sound, but what I think make this record so special are the addition of vocals. The songs all introduce a new voice, which make each track a completely different listen than the previous. If you are just casually listening to the album, you may even think there is more than one great band being showcased. You’d be wrong, but you shouldn’t feel too bad. I mean, how can you feel poorly with this recording in your head? Bands like El Boxeo remind me why I bother to sift through countless piles on the internet in search of good, new music.

MP3s
Tons
New Science
Let’s Get Mythological

Websites
http://www.elboxeo.com/
http://www.myspace.com/elboxeo
http://www.subsprawl.com/