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Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
| Musicomh | | Rilo Kiley fans could be forgiven for feeling a bit worried of late. Not only did lead singer Jenny Lewis foray into the solo world with her Rabbit Fur Coat album, but Rilo guitarist Blake Sennett seemed to invest more time in his side-project The Elected. Could we be seeing the break-up of one of American rock's more intriguing bands?...full text |
| | Rollingstone | | Because Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous was a triumph of the well-made narrative song, its markedly terser and beatier follow-up, which is also the band's true major-label debut, will be accused of sellout. Instead, it's yet more adventurous, a prosperous band's challenge to its comfortable cult. Always too cute for serious indie cred, Jenny Lewis slips four songs about dangerous sex in which she herself might be indulging -- right now, in her pretty prosperity -- into music that's defined rather than just decorated by its stylistic flirtations....full text |
| | Blogcritics | First, a prediction: My, oh my, the IndieKidz™ are gonna hate this one.
I've been wondering what was going to become of Rilo Kiley. More Adventurous was a fabulous record, but then Jenny Lewis came out with Rabbit Fur Coat, an album so amazing that I was sure Jenny was going to head off on her own. We've all seen this before. The charismatic lead singer becomes the icon and the band remains faceless. After some success, there's pressure to split off from the band to take advantage. Not this time.
Instead, it would appear that Rilo Kiley has split off from, well...Rilo Kiley! This is no alt-guitar-rock/quirky-lyrics/Jenny-Lewis-is-a-goddess thing (OK, the Jenny Lewis part is accurate). Actually, I'm not really sure what it is, except that it sure as heck sounds like "Rilo Kiley does the '70s." To be honest, I'm not sure that this music would have been all that interesting to me if it wasn't for the fact that this particular band is doing it. There's just something a little unsettling about it all.
Underage sex? Girls not wearing bras? Porn? Rilo Kiley??
Well, it all begins to make sense after your ears take in all of the references and styles offered up: synth pop ("Breakin' Up," which reminds me of Abba, despite them not being synth pop), the chiming Rickenbacker guitars used on the title track (which ends in a Who/Rabbit Bundrick synth flourish), disco-cum-funk ("Dejalo"), soul ("15," love those horns), George Harrison (that guitar riff on "Silver Lining" can't be an accident), and even Fleetwood Mac ("Dreamworld"). It's so weird... it almost (almost!) makes me want to go out and buy some new bell bottoms.
My favorite track, and the one I'd be willing to bet sends the IndieKidz™ into a spin, is "The MoneyMaker." It's a catchy, nasty, and funky take on the sleaze of porn. It comes off as "Miss You"/Stones meets "Little Earthquakes" Tori. Did I just write that? Well, yes. My ears don't lie, so the fingers must obey.
Go ahead Kidz, have at it....full text |
| | Pitchfork | | It's the prerogative and privilege of any pop act to change direction. It's one of the things that makes pop music so exciting. But change always carries a degree of risk, and in the case of Rilo Kiley's fourth album Under the Blacklight, it manifests a wonderful sense of irony: Under the Blacklight is Rilo Kiley's riskiest album because it's their album that takes the least risks....full text |
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Rilo Kiley lyrics |
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