MUSIC: Ill Lit (Tom Cruise)

Came across Ill Lit recently and it took me a couple days to put my finger on who they sounded like. Some of you might be familiar with a band called The Format (who came out with an excellent little album called "Interventions and Lullabies" a while back; now with a new album called "Dog Problems"); that's who Ill Lit sounds like. Now, for those of you not familiar with The Format, the sound is loose and bright, highlighted by a great (and comforting) lead singer. It's an extremely American sound in my mind. Here's what a couple other sites had to say about their newest album (titled "Tom Cruise").

"Somewhere squarely between Wilco and the Flaming Lips (though these two bands could use a little of what Ill Lit is selling), Ill Lit delivers a deceptively upbeat message of heartbreak and loss of hope, complete with broken electronics and layers and layers of sweet harmonies"
Indieworkshop.com

"Where the realms of lush, sonic abundance meld with eroded, acoustic, weathered rawness...any way you look at it, this is an album worth making a fuss about"
CDBaby.com

Couldn't have said it better myself. Anyhow, onto the music!
(from the album "Tom Cruise")

::: Ill Lit - Across Country
::: Ill Lit - The Bridge In Tracy
::: Ill Lit - The Homewrecking Ball

You can listen to more tracks at their myspace page. To buy the album, go on over to CDBaby here and pick yourself up a copy.

[I'm not quite sure why they called the album "Tom Cruise"..... We all know he's a crazy bastard, but what does he have to do with pop/americana/folk music?]

[Photo credit goes to davif; lots of awesome shots on his flickr page.]

Tags: ill lit, illlit, tom cruise, tomcruise, americana, folk, music, the format, format, mp3, macktronic, cannonball!