Black the Sun

Black the Sun
Studio album by Alex Lloyd
Released	7 January 1999
Recorded	Q Studios, Sydney Studios 301, Sydney
Genre	Singer–songwriter, alternative, lo-fi
Label	EMI
Producer	Alex Lloyd, Ed Buller, Trent Williamson
Alex Lloyd chronology
Black the Sun (1999) Watching Angels Mend (2001)
Singles from Black The Sun
"Black the Sun" Released: 24 July 1998 "Momo" Released: 1999 (October 1998 as promo) "Lucky Star" Released: 23 May 1999 "Something Special" Released: 26 August 1999 "My Way Home" Released: 25 May 2000

Black the Sun is the debut album by the Australian singer–songwriter Alex Lloyd, released in January 1999 via EMI Records.

The song "Something Special" was later remixed by Resin Dogs to create "Something Special (Resin Dogs SP1200Resination Mix)".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Phase9	(Positive)[1]
The Guardian	[2]

Black The Sun received critical acclaim, with Triple J listeners voting it their album of the year.^[3][4][5] Writing for The Guardian in September 2000, John Aizlewood compared Lloyd's "eclectic approach" and "inspired turn of phrase" to that of Beck, and stated that the album "yields more with each play".^[2] He went on to draw comparison with the music of Crowded House, and singled out "Black the Sun", "What a Year" and "Backseat Clause" as the album's highlights, the latter, he noted, is a track which "closes the album in stark, lonesome fashion".^[2]

Accolades

Black The Sun was awarded a nomination for "Breakthrough Artist - Album" at the 2000 ARIA Awards, where Lloyd himself won the prize for "Best Male Artist".^[6]

Track listing

All tracks written by A. Wasiliev, except where noted.

1. "Melting"
2. "Momo"
3. "Something Special" (A. Wasiliev/S. Miller)
4. "Desert"
5. "Snow"
6. "My Way Home"
7. "Black The Sun"
8. "Lucky Star"
9. "What A Year" (A. Wasiliev/B. Quinn)
10. "Faraway"
11. "Aliens"
12. "Gender"
13. "Backseat Clause"

Personnel

• Alex Lloyd – co-producer, guitar, vocals, programming, drums, bass

Additional musicians

• Louise Morgan – spoken word
• Trent Williamson – programming, harmonica
• Terapai Richmond – drums
• Daniel Denholm – string arrangement, vocal arrangement
• Clayton Doley – organ

Technical personnel

• Ed Buller – co-producer, programming
• Trent Williamson – co-producer

Chart performance

Album

Black The Sun peaked at #9 on the Australian Charts and was in the top 50 albums for 28 weeks. The album was certified platinum in Australia.

Singles

The album's lead single was the title track "Black The Sun" released in mid-1998 and peaking at #86 in Australia. The second single, "Lucky Star", reached #91 in Australia and won Lloyd a "Breakthrough Artist - Single" ARIA award in 1999. A remix of "My Way Home" followed in 2000 and proved to be the album's most successful single, reaching a peak of #50 in Australia. Two promotional singles in the album were released in 1999, to promote the album's upcoming release later that year . "Something Special" was the first of these promotional singles and "Momo" was the second. "Momo" originally was the second track on "Peepshow", a two song CD (the first being named after the title) that Lloyd had done roughly a year before the release of "Black The Sun".

References

External links

• Official website