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Hailing from Los Angeles, The Elected have embraced their
home states' sun-soaked sound and made it their own with a pleasant
combination of coastal country lingering above a psychedelic undercurrent.
Unlike comparable California pop-fueled-folk acts Rooney
or The Thrills with their fun-loving point of view on the
Los Angeles experience, The Elected prove to be a bit more cynical
about breathing the smog of the city. Formed by multi-instrumentalists
Blake Sennett and drummer Jason Boesel from Rilo
Kiley, The Elected mirror the wonderful balance of beautiful
indie rock and subtle country of their roots while adding new layers
which separate their two projects distinctively.
Blake croons with bereavement in his whispering falsetto to unambiguous
narratives of love and loss. The band injects synthesized drum beats,
swirling soundscapes and quirky samples in nearly every track, adding
a novel twist on alternative country, while simultaneously updating
their '60's hallucinogenic influences. The Pet Sounds days
of Brian Wilson, Sgt. Pepper's Beatles and
Freewheeling Dylan all come through loud and clear
on the recording. The Fab Four's acid-pop is respectively plagiarized
on "A Time For Emily" with a "Penny Lane"-esque
trumpet solo, immediately followed by the waltzing cadence of "For
The Benefit of Mr. Kite" on the carnival-esque "Don't
Get Your Hopes Up." An extra twangy mindset is manifested on
both "7 September 2003" and "Waves (The Time You're
Awake)" with the tang of a lap-steel. The unifying element
of the bands' essence are the angelic harmonies of Blake and Mike
Bloom. These mellifluousness harmonics blend especially well
on the icy ballad "Don't Blow It" with help from Azure
Ray's Orenda Fink and fellow Rilo Kiley bandmate
Jenny Lewis.
Me First is arguably one of the best debuts Sub Pop has
ever issued. Bursting at the seams with irony and introspection
the disc is utterly original with just subtle hints of familiarity.
The Elected have recorded a near perfect record.
-Tony Engelhart
Track Listing:
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
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
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