Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
|
Music CD Cover Artist: Rilo Kiley Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2007-08-21 Music Label: Warner Bros. Soundtracks:
|
| Used | homers_music | Used, good West Omaha Store ** Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $6.99 | |
| Used | media_distributors | Used, verygood Used - Very Good. Small store sticker on front of case. Case hinges broken. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.02 | |
| Used | buybackscanton | Used, verygood Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.03 | |
| Used | review_books | Used, mint Same day shipping. Free upgrade to 1st class mail for all CDs. Professional packaging material. Friendly customer service. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.07 | |
| New | review_books | New Same day shipping. Free upgrade to 1st class mail for all CDs. Professional packaging material. Friendly customer service. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.07 | |
| New | | New Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.08 | |
| Used | thetangotienda | Used, mint Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.09 | |
| New | thetangotienda | New Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.10 | |
| Used | kidchar | Used, mint IN STOCK. Ships first class from Colorado. Promo notch on spine Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.25 | |
| Used | jmamable | Used, verygood minor damage to spine, still in wrapping! Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.35 |
Your purchase is protected by the A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee. Amazon.com automatically transfers your payment to the merchant so you'll never need to pay a merchant directly. Amazon.com A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee covers both the delivery of your item and its condition upon receipt.
Free Music Notes for Under the Blacklight Album
Free Music Review: Uninteresting and disappointing.
Hit: 2 Stars
Two words I thought I'd never use to describe a Rilo Kiley album, and yet here we are.
The dramatic shift in the band's sound is as complete as it is baffling. The lush soundscapes, intricate songcraft, and interesting melodies are slaughtered in favor of driving beats, cookie cutter grooves, and an emphasis on creating radio friendly jams.
Where before Jenny Lewis (who I considered to be one of the finest fronts in music today) might croon a soulful reflective tale, she now spits out trite repetitive phrases designed to tunnel into the brain of the listener. The clever and cheeky wordplay is gone, in favor of (almost nonsensical at times) vapid, empty sentiment.
At it's best, Under The Blacklight sounds like lost Gloria Estefan B-sides from 1987, with heavy synth pops and keyboards and the rest of the band taking five as Jenny embarrassingly blurts out an almost rap-like section of song, before an ineffective hook takes over like it does for 40% of every track.
This can probably largely be blamed on the album's producers, and possibly a gun pointed at the band (my own theory, as I can't imagine why else they'd tie their creative hand behind their back and challenge themselves to release something so worthless). Ditch the hip producers, Rilo Kiley, you're better than that.
The only track that shines is Blake's "Dreamworld", almost as a secret message to fans that "Hey, at least I haven't lost my mind with this garbage". Indeed, we can only hope we'll get another Elected album some day as Jenny goes on to be the next Gwen Stefani.
Perhaps the most saddening part is how effective this album will most likely be at reaching its goal; a new audience. The small but fiercely loyal fanbase completely turned away by the band's shift in focus as Under The Blacklight CD's fly off the shelves for the people out there who just want a "groove", even if it is mediocre and disingenuous.
In the end, it is what it is, and without a lie detector we'll have to take RK's word that this is what they wanted, but all I can think is "Why?".