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Citing "disloyalty, deception, [and] greed" as contributing
factors to the split of his more illustrious band Rilo Kiley,
Blake Sennett is probably looking for a clean break from
the tailspin of indie-siren Jenny Lewis' overshadowing appeal.
For years, his side-project The Elected (with fellow bandmate
Jason Boesel) has served that function. With their new release,
Bury Me In My Rings, we see some familiar strokes and some
calculated departures. Formerly with Sub Pop and now with Vagrant,
the band is also mapping new terrain. With the new label, we see
a sound that is less predictable, more unbuckled, and defies any
genre typecast.
"Babyface," the lead single, sets the pace with a reggae-inspired
beach blanket chirp. It's a good, lighthearted cut, but a little too
cutesy for those yearning for a brasher punch. The next track "Look
At Me Now" follows a smarter conduit. The carefree textures remain,
but instead of a vocal-heavy prompt the song lets the groovy deluge
steer the melody. It's hard to imagine Jenny Lewis charting progress
of this sort on her own without this type of winning formula as her
co-pilot.
"Go For The Throat" shows even more muscle with a dense
beat and a unified chorus. With its scathing message, the listener
also can't help but think that it is aimed squarely at Lewis. It's
like a recycled version of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain."
"Trip Round The World," with its ukulele brushstrokes, is
a surf-pop lullaby in the mold of Jack Johnson. Some readers
may cringe at this parallel, but the song is a tranquil track that
any listener would find readily addictive. "When I'm Gone"
pulls all the album highlights together in a tight amalgam. The song
is a sleek production catwalk that is both catchy and aboveboard -
all the songwriting qualities that have made Sennett an industry force
on his own.
-K.K. Coe
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