11i | 
| Artist: Supreme Beings Of Leisure
Label: Rykodisc
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $11.41
You Save: $5.57 (33%)
New (43) Used (9) from $8.95
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 18320
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 5 x 0.3
MPN: 10939
UPC: 014431093920
EAN: 0014431093920
ASIN: B000WPNKJ6
Release Date: February 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | The Light | | • | This World | | • | Mirror | | • | Swallow | | • | Good | | • | Pieces | | • | Angelhead - featuring Lili Hayden | | • | Ride | | • | Oneness | | • | Everywhere | | • | Lay Me Down |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
There may be no more aptly named band than Supreme Beings of Leisure. On this L.A. duo's third album, 11i, a musical aesthetic once called trip-hop reaches archetypal heights. Ramin Sakurai's loping, electro-orchestral production and Geri Soriano-Lightwood's breathy, clarion vocals tango with nary a misstep. Opener "The Light" sets the bar loftily. Despite how many others have lounged in these musical waters, it asserts, we do bass, beats, and luxuriant bombast better. Why? Take "Angelhead": Soriano-Lightwood sings a difficult but unmoving melody only "The Star-Spangled Banner" could love, but Surakai's lush instrumental wraps the vocal in a silken sheen that leaves the song sounding timeless--almost impossibly, it seems, but there it is. Skeptics may write SBL off as a 'Dead Can Dance for Dummies,' and lesser successes ("This World," "Oneness," "Lay Me Down") do tend too often toward romantic cliches and an forced cosmopolitan mojo that seems hell-bent for a future elevator. But when Sakurai emerges from his lagging tempi and turns up the volume, both musicians bloom. When, for example, the chorus of "Mirror" delivers its tectonic slab of drums and bass, this is a band bursting forth with its deluxe best yet. 11i is music for the leisure class, perhaps, but--as advertised--it doesn't get much better. --Jason Kirk
Product Description
Supreme Beings of Leisure return with their third album, 11i a darkly cinematic collection of enchanting, hypnotizing songs. Sultry rhythms and understated electronica complement the sophisticated songcraft behind their signature sound.
The album is a song cycle about daily life that begins with the sumptuous prelude of The Light and seamlessly evolves into the concluding drifting-into-dreams track, Lay Me Down. In between are standouts including the wistful and melodic This World, Mirror and Angelhead (feat. Lili Haydn).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Hypnotic,Lush, Emotional..Supreme September 19, 2008
I just received this cd yesterday. At first I was a little put off and found it a little boring the songs were'nt hooking me like the previous two cd's. This morning I walked to work and played the entire cd and heard one of the most laid back groovy sexiest cd's in a long time. Though this cd is decidely down tempo unlike its predecessor Divine Operating System it's no snooze fest. Pour the drinks and enjoy.
 Pretty Good August 27, 2008
Reviewing music is really somuch in the eye of the beholder, it's hard to really glean if you'll like someone with even similiar tastes as you.
That being said - this is a pretty good album. I listened to the whole thing on mp3.com and was impressed by more than half the tracks - so I made a purchase. I prefer it when musicians try different things in the span of a cd instead having it sound all the same. I like variety in what an artist does in his/her work. 11i is a little bit of both worlds - it's got some variety but it's variety in the sound, not really different musical styles - if that makes any sense. On some tracks the girl singer will be soft and subtle. On others she'll croon and sing loud over some hard guitars.
Most of the cd could be classified as trip hop - maybe even a little pop-ish. It's not bad, I do wish a little more variety had been put into some of the tracks. The main stand out tracks for me where "Mirror" and "Angelhead" - though the whole cd has something to offer.
The return of Supreme Beings of Leisure May 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am not into trip hop music as I once was several years ago. The genre itself became its own worst enemy when every trip hop act that came out sounded like a clone of Portishead or Massive Attack. The redundancy is what killed my passion for the genre for the last few years. After enjoying Goldfrapp's most recent album SEVENTH TREE, I decided to check out the new Supreme Beings of Leisure album 11i when I saw it at my library. I loved the group's first album when it first came out. By the time the group's second album came out, my interest in the genre waned and I had moved on. I did hear samples of their last album and was not impressed by what little I heard.
Almost immediately, 11i reminded me what made me love Supreme Beings of Leisure which is the combination of the seductive vocals of Geri Soriano-Lightwood and the lush programming provided by Ramin Sakurai. Ramin effortlessly weaves world music with modern dance beats, with Geri's vocals, the duo creates an album suitable for background music at a cocktail party or a pan-Asian restaurant. The album isn't totally laid back. There are songs that will make the listener want to get up and dance like the groovy uptempo track "Good". It is a nice change of pace from the slick, laid back trip hop grooves of the album which sometimes proves to be a detriment to the group's music. The more laid back trip hop songs tend to sound alike which drags the album down a bit but overall 11i is a solid effort.
Speechless April 2, 2008
Being a big fan of Supreme Beings of Leisure I regret that I waited so long to puchase this album. Its always nice to see an artists sound evole without losing the signature sound that put them on the map. I often wondered could these two get any better, losing their third member who went on to form Bittersweet. From the time I put 11i into the cd player I was at a loss for words. They seem to be at the pinnacle of their career, and after all the dust settles from 11i, Ill wonder can they get any better.
Third time is a charm March 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Five years is a long time to wait for a new album from a favorite artist, and with that time comes higher expectations. Surprisingly, SBL exceeds expectations and shows a new maturity both lyrically and in terms of musical skill.
The chief complaint among people I've introduced to the first two albums is that they're so repetitive. Yeah, we get it, you're never the same girl twice. Now what? Thankfully, 11i is far more rich and complex musically. It doesn't sound like they tried to fill out loops to get a song to four minutes. One of the highlights of the album is the last three songs, which take rare album continuity and mix a broad range of topics from inspiration to loss to inner peace. Slide guitar that wafts in and out of the background reminds me a bit of Tears for Fears while overall tight production weaves this great sonic treat of a melody above the beats. That's a true departure. I can't just label it electronic music anymore. "Angelhead," "Mirror" and "Everywhere" in particular are great standouts.
Lyrically, the album is far more personal, without being too poetic. You don't have to be cryptic to be artistic, and I love that about this album.
And yes, it's still sexy.
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