Elected - Sun Sun Sun (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

Great Sophomore Album!

Cale E. Reneau | Conroe, Texas United States | 01/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Sun Sun Sun" from The Elected, is a great sophomore album that proves that their first was not a fluke recording. Of course, fans of Rilo Kiley and The Elected have known this for some time now. Blake Sennet is a truly great song writer, and, to me, his songs have always been the standout tracks on any Rilo Kiley album. His talent and abilities definitely shine through in this album.

This album offers a different feel from 2003's "Me First." Where as that album had a heavy country feel to it, with splashes of sadness and sorrow, "Sun Sun Sun" is an upbeat indie pop odyssey. The album is is much more poppy than the last, and Sennet's voice is more inviting this time around as a result. The album flows nicely and is a great road trip album.

This album, when compared to "Me First" is just as catchy, just as impressive, and just as "repeat-worthy." Though the feel of the album is much different, fans of the first album will have absolutely no problem welcoming this album into their collection. Fans of Rilo Kiley, Rogue Wave, and Eliot Smith should love this album too! The Elected definitely has a chance to outshine Rilo Kiley with this album. Good luck!

(Way to go, Pinskey!)"

Wistful, springy pop

somethingexcellent | Lincoln, NE United States | 02/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I will admit right off the bat that I'm not a huge fan of Rilo Kiley. There are tracks in their discography that really stick out and grab my ear, but as a whole I can't get into it too deeply. Before Jenny Lewis got into the solo release act, guitarist (and sometime singer and songwriter) Blake Sennett made the leap starting last two years back with his band The Elected. The debut Me First was a nice little pop release tinged with touches of electronics (courtesy of Jimmy Tamborello), but Sun, Sun, Sun strips all non-acoustic accoutrements away, leaving a disc full of breezy, southern-california inspired pop kissed with a lick of country.

Although Me First was plenty enjoyable, Sennett seems to have really found his stride with this newest effort, and even though it's downright schmaltzy at times, Sun, Sun, Sun is such a warm, inviting record that I've found myself going back to it time after time. After a short opening track, the album gallops right into "Would You Come with Me," which blends some great slide guitar and background cooing in alongside the breathy vocals of Sennett. "Fireflies In A Steel Mill" is even more 70s sounding, mixing piano and soft electric guitar while peaking with a quiet horn solo.

"Not Going Home" brings things up a notch in terms of volume and is probably the most obvious track for grabbing some radio play as multi-tracked vocals mingle with orchestral, layered instrumentation and thicker-sounding drums. Sennett has an ear for hooks, too, which becomes apparent even on more stripped-down songs like the album-titled "Sun, Sun, Sun," where he's accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar and piano while showing off his vocal chops (which at times call to mind Elliot Smith). Lyrically, he's not tackling nearly as difficult subjects, but it's a good sign when he can spout lyrics like "Sun, sun, sun, what are you doin' / You went behind the clouds / And all the rain came down" and not make them sound ultra-goofy.

Musically, the release definitely has some things in common with various Saddle Creek albums from the past couple years (especially the slick, warm aesthetic of Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Lifted...), which probably isn't a coincidence considering he recorded his first album (but not this newest one) at the same studio and with the same engineers as those records. At fourteen songs and almost fifty minutes, it runs a hair long considering the material, but the album closes with a solid wallop in the ever-building and enjoyable "Biggest Star" (which closes out with a guitar and horn blowout that really does rock). Considering the unseasonably warm weather we've been having here lately, Sun, Sun, Sun has felt right at home.

(from almost cool music reviews)"

Love the album

sun, sun, sun | Boston, MA | 01/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is fantastic. I'm confused though because i thought Mike Bloom was the primary guitarist and was touring with Blake in Rilo Kiley. However, the above description only mentions Blake Sennett. I've seen them live and Mike Bloom is a brilliant guitarist and lap steel player. This new record says that Blake and Mike produced it together. Anyway, they've done a great job. I love this album and so will you.."

Like Rays of Sun

Garett Press | Westchester, NY | 03/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"www.AbsolutePunk.net

Blake Sennett is gonna grab you by the bootstraps and giddyup off into the sunset with your country heart, assuming you've got one. Finally answering the question, "What would Elliot Smith have sounded like if he dug up his old lap-steel and watched too many old Clint Eastwood flics?" (not that anyone ever actually asked) the Rilo Kiley guitar-man lays down part breathy emo cry-baby and part baroque alt-country ballad and ends up with something either simply endearing, overly glitzy, or a combination of the two.

A relatively far cry from Rilo Kiley counterpart and love interest Jenny Lewis' nakedly melodic solo debut, and also from The Elected's electronically pampered premiere, the sophomore Sun, Sun, Sun bursts with a sense of relief and exuberance. Despite Sennett's always meek vocal quality, the arrangements on this disc flood forth like rays of sunshine through the clouds, unabashedly hopeful and maybe even celebratory. You've got to imagine that an artist titling his record as such isn't dwelling on the gloomy side of life, and while bluesy at times, these songs certainly won't get you down. As Blake says in the soulful "Did Me Good", "I've seen trouble come my way/I've seen many a dark day/But I've seen the sun comin' up in your face." Each song seems to develop a cheerful mantra of sort, as the choruses repeat phrases like "It was love," "I'm not going home, I'm already there," "You did me good," and "I'll be your man."

In the vein of Bright Eyes and similar projects, there is a wealth of personal story-telling going on in the verses, making for a distanced listening experience, which really sets the instrumental work on display. The abundance of clean licks, rhythmic keys, and an expressive brass section will charm your ass relentlessly, but by the time track 11 or so rolls around, the luster starts to feel too familiar, and you might find yourself wishing Mike Mogis had been back on board for the second go-around.

Call it pageantry, or call it an artist merely expressing radiance, Sun, Sun, Sun shines vibrantly throughout. Perhaps there is no song as thrillingly sweet as Me First's "A Time for Emily" and perhaps the record as a whole is lighter fare than the last. Still, you can't fault a man for making a big cheery record, especially not when it's crafted by hands and hearts as skilled and delicate as those of The Elected.

-www.AbsolutePunk.net"

Tanning all day under 'Sun Sun Sun'

David P. Castellani | Hyde Park, NY | 03/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album at first glance seems somewhat mediocre but leaves

a craving in your ear that does not go away. It's addiction

is beyond belief and attaches itself to your life instantly. It's all simple brilliance wrapped in tireless melody and guitar. The piano ballads compliment Blake Sennet's guitar and vocals perfectly. Other elements of blues and country play a role but the album floats whole heartedly like clouds on a Shin's cover. It's all truly captivating as well as compelling. It's depth is unreal. Taking you so far under the surface, you forget there was one. It's indie soul but it's also more. If your a rilo kiley fan, it's probably not at all what you would expect but hints at emulation in shadows. This is album is truly a sleeper, at first glance it doesn't appear to

have a whole lot under the hood or seems to have much depth. But like a flower under the 'Sun Sun Sun' it flourishes into something powerful. I must have listened to this album atleast a dozen times consecutively, for the moment it made no other album matter. It's laid out so brilliantly that you insist on searching through it's timeless depth. It's a great songwrite album like Ryan Adams or Bob Dylan but it speaks on different parallels, it's certainly aggressively passive. It's subtle and passionate. I haven't listened to an album this much since Ryan Adams 29. This album carries with it an obscure country twang, truthful indie rock, well produced fusion of harmony, folk and singer-song write mastermind. It's intruiging around every corner. I now realize where a lot of Rilo Kiley's brilliant melodies come from. Blake's voice may not be the strongest force out there but he makes it up with passion and originality, it's more like a heavy sketch of hills and valleys

than it is a solid vector. All framed carefully in its brilliant production."

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