Black the Sun is the debut album by the Australian singer–songwriter

Singer–songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Alex Lloyd

Alex Lloyd

Alex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. His most popular album Watching Angels Mend, which includes the songs "Amazing" and "Green", was released in 2001 went double platinum. His third album Distant Light released in 2003 featured three songs that made the Australian top 40 singles charts...

, released in January 1999 via EMI Records

EMI Records

EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...

.

The song "Something Special" was later remixed by Resin Dogs

Resin Dogs

Resin Dogs are a Brisbane, Australia-based hip hop band, originally formed in 1996. Resin Dogs are a loose collective, a cut and paste sample band who use live drums, live bass, and elements of hip hop via turntables and samplers to create all forms of ritual dance sounds...

 to create "Something Special (Resin Dogs SP1200Resination Mix)".

Critical reception

Black The Sun received critical acclaim, with Triple J listeners voting it their album of the year. Writing for The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

in September 2000, John Aizlewood compared Lloyd's "eclectic approach" and "inspired turn of phrase" to that of Beck

Beck

Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...

, and stated that the album "yields more with each play". He went on to draw comparison with the music of Crowded House

Crowded House

Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

, 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".

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".

Track listing

All tracks wriiten by A. Wasiliev

Alex Lloyd

Alex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. His most popular album Watching Angels Mend, which includes the songs "Amazing" and "Green", was released in 2001 went double platinum. His third album Distant Light released in 2003 featured three songs that made the Australian top 40 singles charts...

, 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
  Alex Lloyd
  Alex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. His most popular album Watching Angels Mend, which includes the songs "Amazing" and "Green", was released in 2001 went double platinum. His third album Distant Light released in 2003 featured three songs that made the Australian top 40 singles charts...
  
   – co-producer
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  , guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  , programming
  Programming (music)
  Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
  
  , drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  

Additional musicians

• Louise Morgan – spoken word
  Spoken word
  Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
  
  
• Trent Williamson – programming, harmonica
  Harmonica
  The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
  
  
• Terapai Richmond – drums
• Daniel Denholm – string arrangement, vocal arrangement
• Clayton Doley
  Clayton Doley
  Clayton Doley is an Australian musician, singer, song writer, television musical director, arranger, and record producer best known for his Hammond Organ virtuosity.-Songwriter and producer:...
  
   – organ
  Hammond organ
  The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
  
  

Technical personnel

• Ed Buller
  Ed Buller
  Ed Buller is a British record producer and former musician. He primarily works with Australian and British bands like Suede, Pulp, The Raincoats....
  
  – co-producer, programming
• Trent Williamson – co-producer

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.

Album	Peak Position (Australia)	Weeks in Top 50
Black The Sun (1999)	9	28

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".

Black The Sun Singles	Aus. Charts Peak Positions
"Black the Sun" (1998)	86
"Lucky Star" (1999)	91
"My Way Home" (2000)	50