As of spring 2010, Blake Sennett, had quit music. Abandoned it completely. No more Rilo Kiley, no more The Elected. The former guitarist and songwriter focused his efforts elsewhere, writing and directing a short film, moving out of his house of twelve years, and taking in a rescue dog affectionately named “The Baby.” Music was a thing of the past, an afterthought. Dead and gone.
So why is there an email about a new record by The Elected, titled Bury Me in My Rings, sitting in our inbox? Did Blake struggle in his new endeavors, find failure in the harsh realm of the film industry? Is he making his return to the world of music defeated, tail between his legs, scratching at the back door of his past successes?
The answer, one simply finds, is no. He just wanted to have fun again, so the feature film was put on hold in order to finish what months before he couldn’t conceive: a new album.
Our Jam of the Day, “Babyface,” has the same DNA as the Stones’ “Beast of Burden,” but works in an early Talking Heads groove to make it smooth, yet unique. The signature Elected tones remain though, shining through a prism that could be lying on a tropical island, Central Park, or Coronado.
It appears that instead of retracing his steps, Sennett has forged new ground. And that ground sounds damn good to us.
Bury Me In My Rings will be available everywhere on May 17th via Vagrant Records. Download “Babyface” below.