In hindsight, Blake Sennett acknowledges over the phone before coming to Toronto for tonight's show at The Horseshoe Tavern, the timing of The Elected's sophomore release probably could have been better.
"Maybe if we had to do it over again, maybe that would be a good idea," he says of distancing his own side project from that of Jenny Lewis, his bandmate in indie darlings Rilo Kiley. Instead, The Elected's Sun, Sun, Sun was released on the same day as Lewis' acclaimed solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat - and subsequently crushed under the weight of its massive buzz.
It's easy to understand why, though that's not necessarily an indictment of The Elected. Sennett can't compete with Lewis's gorgeous voice - nor, for that matter, with her sex appeal. And whereas Lewis's album offers an arresting collection of soulful and sometimes haunting country tunes, Sennett's band -- which, unlike Rilo Kiley, gives him a chance to assume lead vocal duties -- serves up a much subtler sound. With their twangy brand of California pop (the Byrds and Neil Young are obvious influences), The Elected are more pleasant than they are head-turning.
Or at least, that's the case on record. What comes through only occasionally on Sun, Sun, Sun, mostly in the standouts Not Going Home and The Bank and Trust, as well as the extended rock-out of album closer Biggest Star, is the passionate delivery Sennett brings to his live shows.
Decked out in a slightly comical cowboy hat and brimming with energy, Sennett surprised industry types with an electrifying performance at the recent South by Southwest festival in Austin. And when asked about the discrepancy in deliveries, he all but acknowledges that The Elected's studio work to date has been more restrained than he'd like.
"I guess when you do things live and you see the people there it takes on a different feel," he says. "I don't know ... I kinda wish we had been able to bring more of that to the record."
If it's taking him a while to perfect The Elected's sound, Sennett might be forgiven. After years in his first band's more collaborative environment, where he mostly plays guitar as Lewis handles vocal duties, he's still adjusting to life in the spotlight.
"There's a committee that you have to please," he says of Rilo Kiley, "whereas in this band there's not as much of that. That's a difference - not having to really answer to anybody. Which is nice, but it's also scary, because sometimes it's good to answer to someone."
"I think it's fun to be in a five-man, because you have more freedom to do your thing," he adds. "But it's also really fun to be in the centre singing all the songs - maybe more satisfying to my ego."
However much both he and Lewis are enjoying branching out, there doesn't seem much danger of a rift between the two of them. Once a couple, they remain close even in their solo projects: Lewis contributed to three of Sun, Sun, Sun's tracks, and Sennett was originally slated to produce Rabbit Fur Coat before they decided against it. "We still very much respect each other," he says, "so we'll always be a sounding board for each other."
Even as they're still promoting their separate efforts, it seems, Sennett and Lewis will soon be reconnecting in the studio. "I think we're gonna start recording a new Rilo Kiley record in May," Sennett says, "then maybe go on tour in Europe with The Elected, then maybe come back and finish the Rilo Kiley record, then go out in the fall with The Elected. Something like that."
