Sun, Sun, Sun
Sub Pop, 2006
rating: 3/5
reviewer: dave gurney


Just as winter doldrums are clamping down on many, it can be handy to have a little something sunny on tap in the musical rotation; and with that in mind, The Elected may be timing the release of their sophomore effort, Sun, Sun, Sun, quite fortuitously. Although mastermind Blake Sennett, who spends a lot of his time with his other band, Rilo Kiley, continued to self-record much of the music for this new album, his skills have obviously blossomed, opening up from the clean, but still lo-fi, aesthetic of Me First into a brighter and more joyous sound overall. This shift in production style coupled with the generally more positive tilt of the song lyrics makes for an album with some truly infectious moments of uplift.

If there is a consistent theme to the album, it's looking at the bright side of your situation, whatever it may be (I guess that's a pretty easy sentiment to feel when you're a member of a relatively successful indie band and your side project is on Sub Pop). The pervasive "you" of the lyrics is always addressed in a "gee, aren't we lucky" or "we can make it" manner. For instance, "Would You Come with Me" functions as a gentle yet upbeat assertion that Sennett has the strength to leave "if you'd come with" him. In the title track, he claims that "you'll pull through, you'll pull through, you'll pull through." Even "Old Times," a slower country lament, seems to insist that you and Sennett could regain that good feeling of the past again with just a little effort.

Schmaltziness is the only real pitfall here. Certain tracks like "Did Me Good" put on the earnestness a bit too much -- call it Oberstian overstatement if you will. The overindulgence works to make the song seem like an in-joke that doesn't quite arrive at a punchline, given that the lyrical content is cut from the same cloth as the rest of the songs. Aside from such minor inconsistencies (which some listeners may find endearing), the album achieves its purpose and will make all but the most cynical listeners feel reassured and content after listening. Moreover, one gets the feeling that Sennett will continue to grow and evolve as an artist for a long time to come.

1. Clouds Parting (8:14 a.m.)
2. Would You Come with Me
3. Fireflies in a Steel Mill
4. Not Going Home
5. It Was Love
6. Sun, Sun, Sun
7. Did Me Good
8. The Bank and Trust
9. Old Times
10. Desiree
11. I'll Be Your Man
12. Beautiful Rainbow
13. Biggest Star
14. At Home (Time Unknown)

Me First
Sub Pop, 2004
rating: 2.5/5
reviewer: courtney


Actually, Mr. Sennett, I beg to differ. Technically speaking, I'd say you second. Second in terms of side projects by members of Rilo Kiley, that is. I vaguely remember this record by this sad dude with a band named after a Bonzo Dog Band song, and I think he got his friend with a groove box and Logic software to help him out. Oh, and then they called this girl with a really pretty voice who really likes the way the sad dude writes songs. At least it seems that way when you listen to the songs she writes. I think it was called, I don't know, something to do with the post office maybe? I digress.

When it comes to side projects, self-indulgence is generally the motivating factor and Me First is certainly no exception. The recipe would spell success if the aforementioned other Rilo Kiley side project were any barometer against which to judge it. All the elements are in place here — center Mike Mogis, producer extraordinaire; power forward Jimmy Tamborello, blip-and-beat master; and rounded out by teammates Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley), Daniel Brummel (Ozma), and Mike Bloom. It's even recorded at the late, great Elliott Smith's studio. However, the songwriting has fallen short. There are some great moments — the Fred-Neil-siphoned-through-the-Zombies plucked pop of "British Columbia," the subtle, psychedelic, lilting stringiness of "A Response to Greed," "7 September 2003," which sounds something like Ira Kaplan fronting the Jayhawks, and shockingly enough, the Rilo-Kiley-cum-Postal-Service sweetness of "Don't Blow It," featuring guest vocalist Jenny Lewis. The rest is peppered with dissatisfying, mommy-daddy emotastic lyrics, Jeff Tweedy impressions, and Four Tet-inspired, stop-on-a-dime, into-something-totally-unrelated segues that don't really belong on a country-twinged "let's hang out, drink, and make a record, dudes" kind of affair. Better fleshed-out and more focused, much of this material would have been best suited for the next Rilo Kiley record.

Records like this have become Sub Pop's forte as of late, with Isaac Brock playing resident A&R guy; but bands like the Beachwood Sparks, Iron & Wine, and the Fruit Bats seem to not leave a lot of necessity for afterthought, side-project versions of the same fodder. Die-hard Rilo Kiley fans, Elliott Smith archivists, and over-zealous Saddle Creek enthusiasts only need pack their satchels for this Sentimental Journey.

1. 7 September 2003
2. Greetings in Braille
3. My Baby's a Dick
4. A Time for Emily
5. Don't Get Your Hopes Up
6. Waves (The Time That You're Awake)
7. The Miles ‘til Home
8. Go On
9. C'mon, Mom
10. A Response to Greed
11. Don't Blow It
12. British Columbia