Black the Sun
| Black the Sun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| 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 | ||||
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| Singles from Black The Sun | ||||
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Black the Sun is the debut album by the Australian singer–songwriter Alex Lloyd, released in January 1999 via EMI Records. It won the 2000 ARIA Music Award for Best Male Artist.
The song "Something Special" was later remixed by Resin Dogs to create "Something Special (Resin Dogs SP1200Resination Mix)".
Critical reception
| 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.
- "Melting"
- "Momo"
- "Something Special" (A. Wasiliev/S. Miller)
- "Desert"
- "Snow"
- "My Way Home"
- "Black The Sun"
- "Lucky Star"
- "What A Year" (A. Wasiliev/B. Quinn)
- "Faraway"
- "Aliens"
- "Gender"
- "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
Weekly charts
Black The Sun peaked at #9 on the Australian Charts in July 1999. The album remained in the top 50 albums for 28 weeks.
| Chart (1999/2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Albums Chart[8] | 82 |
Certification
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Review: ALEX LLOYD - BLACK THE SUN". Phase9.net. 2000. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ a b c Aizlewood, John. "Review: Alex Lloyd, Black The Sun (EMI/Chrysalis)". The Guardian Review (8 September 2000). Guardian Media Group: 20.
- ^ Kingsmill, Richard. "Feature: J FILES: 1999". ABC. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ Maxwell, Rudi. "Interview: The Amazing Mr Lloyd". The Northern Rivers Echo. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ "Live preview: Alex Lloyd". Citysearch Australia Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "History: Winners by Artist: Alex Lloyd". ARIA Awards. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 18 June 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Alex Lloyd – Black the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of year 2000". ARIA. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 December 2010.