Album Notes

TENKI adds the bookend to their 2-part CD series "We're Not Talking About The Universe, Are We" with eight tracks that follow the course established in 2006's "#1" with its epic rock and healthy dose of {mid} western grandeur by way of searing trumpets, bombastic drumming and psychedelic guitars. But "# 2" features more TENKI variety and voices. It begins with the dreamy "The Conversation" that is classic TENKI with its patient swells of grandeur. Followed by the bounce-driven rock of "Blueface Arizona" and the boisterously dark and dirty existentialist dirge "Do You Think...". "The Shy Retirer" is TENKI's only recorded cover song originally by Arab Strap followed by the slower "Gestures" featuring Kmieciak on vocals, then sped up with "Watersprung Dam" who's lyrics were conceived while driving I-88 to the Quads in the middle of the night. The drunken "Hazy" waltz and the '70s sitcom-ish "Funny Little Beast" wrap things up. Or so you think. Trailing the main body is the hidden track "I Love You" recorded by a 12 year-old Dexter Gold on a crappy tape deck in his bedroom - his first rock experiment and as raw as it gets.

"#2" is TENKI's fifth recording in seven years and introduces the new bass stylings of Stephen Favazza who recently moved to Chicago from St. Louis. The rest of the band is the same: Jamie Toal (vocals), Jeff Kmieciak (guitars), Jeff Wichmann (aka Dexter Gold) (trumpets and keys), Sean Burke (drums), and Garen Gaston (keys and trumpets) who is the featured Wurlizter player throughout this recording.