Blake Sennett (Pitchfork)

[obiwankobe]

Blake Sennett Talks Elected, Rilo Kiley, Eagles

Kati Llewellyn and Amy Phillips report:
Rilo Kiley vocalist/guitarist and Elected frontman Blake Sennett has been busting his behind lately. Between helping a friend record, preparing for the release of the new Elected album, and listening to way too much of the Eagles, Sennett still makes time for the important things in life, like fixing up the homebase. All of which he talked about when Pitchfork spoke to him last week.

Currently, Sennett is holed up in a cabin studio in Lake Arrowhead, California, where he's busy working on an album by friends Whispertown 2000, for release on Rilo Kiley's own label, Brute/Beaute. The record is scheduled for a March release, at which point the band will tour with Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis as she supports her solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, due January 24 on Team Love.

Sennett's side project, the Elected, recently finished their sophomore album, Sun, Sun, Sun, the follow-up to last year's Me First. It's slated to hit stores on January 24 via Sub Pop. Uh oh, Blake vs. Jenny retail fight!

Describing Sun, Sun, Sun, Sennett said, "We're shooting at an early-seventies kind of a production. A lot of stacked background vocals and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in the harmony areas. It's like some early Eagles records." Sennett then proceeded to belt out a rendition of the Eagles' "One of These Nights". "I think we're shooting for kind of an organic, you know, groovy feel..."

Well folks, it looks like we've finally reached the point where Mom Rock has officially become cool again.

Backing Sennett up in this incarnation of the Elected are multi-instrumentalist Mike Bloom, percussionist Ryland Steen, and bassist Daniel Brummel. Jenny Lewis and Eisley's Stacy Dupree contribute backing vocals.

The Sun, Sun, Sun tracklist looks a little something like this:

01 Clouds Parting (8:14 a.m.)
02 Would You Come With Me
03 Fireflies in a Steel Mill
04 Not Going Home
05 It Was Love
06 Sun, Sun, Sun
07 Did Me Good
08 The Bank and Trust
09 Old Times
10 Desiree
11 I'll Be Your Man
12 Beautiful Rainbow
13 Biggest Star
14 At Home (Time Unknown)

We really hope track ten is about the girl who sang that "you gotta be strong" song.

An Elected tour is in the works for next year, but Sennett plans to keep the shows to a minimum for now. A bare minimum:

01-20 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
01-21 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
01-24 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café

Efforts are being made toward a new Rilo Kiley record as well, but veeeery slooooowly. Sennett told Pitchfork, "Before me and Jenny leave on our US tours, we're planning on trying to get a couple songs down for the next record...hopefully get little pockets of four and five songs at a time and get together a record."

Despite all the pending music industry commitments, Sennett has the same day-to-day problems normal folk like you, me and that dude over there have to deal with as well. When asked what else he's been working on, Sennett replied, "Well, the outside of my house has been lookin' really shitty. I have these roots growing next to my house...so I gotta work on that. That's about it." See, kids? Celebrities are just like us!

* Pitchfork Review: Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous
* Pitchfork Review: The Elected: Me First
* Rilo Kiley: http://www.rilokiley.com/
* The Elected: http://www.theelected.com/

[*Annie*]

"and listening to way too much of the Eagles"
This is exactly why I can't stand Pitchfork.