Garett Press
03/15/06, 03:03 PM
The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun
Sub Pop Records
~{SCORE: 7.8/10}~
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.
Sub Pop Records
~{SCORE: 7.8/10}~
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.