Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
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Free Music Notes for Under the Blacklight
Free Music Review: 4-1/2 stars -- Shine on...
Hit: 4 Stars
Although the band Rilo Kiley is mostly made up of former child actors, their names really didn't ring a bell to me. I had never heard of Jenny Lewis before, and the only place I remember Blake Sennett from was Salute Your Shorts (although he went by Blake Soper then). But the reason why it probably took a while for people to notice the band is because they are on Barsuk Records, and it always takes a while for those artists to get the exposure they deserve (ask Death Cab for Cutie). Still, I never would have heard of the band had it not been for some Wikipedia rumor that they were going to perform on the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live after Amy Winehouse pulled out, but I'm sure glad I did.
Under the Blacklight is easily one of the best albums that came out last year. Jenny handles most of the lead vocals, and she handles them well, whether the songs are metaphors ("Silver Lining"; "The Angels Hung Around"), dysfunctional families ("15"), or songs that are just plain good ("Dejalo"; "Give a Little Love"). But Blake also does a good job handling the mic on "Dreamworld".
I knocked off half a star because at the end of the otherwise good "Breakin' Up", Jenny sings that "it feels good to be free" part in an odd tone. But the rest of Under the Blacklight is stellar enough for you to not even care, so pick it up.
Anthony Rupert
Free Music Review: "This Greed And Jealousy Turn To Need"
Hit: 4 Stars
I was absolutely blown away by this album. Rilo Kiley have crafted some incredible power-pop songs on their fourth album, sung gorgeously by front-woman Jenny Lewis. The music here is bright and shiny, given just enough grit by the spiky guitar of Blake Sennett. The gloss of the music sometimes masks the desperation and darkness of the lyrics, such as the protagonist of "Close Call", who trades 'money for sex', the 25 year old man romancing the 15 year old girl in the soul-tinged "15", or Lewis singing 'like a black widow I'll be crawling' on the title track. Even the cheery sounding "Silver Lining" contains the lines 'I never felt so wicked as when I willed our love to die'.
The first eight songs are all absolutely amazing. The final three tracks, "Smoke Detector", "The Angels Hung Around", and "Give a Little Love" aren't bad songs, but they're not quite as strong as the rest of the material, hence my four star rating for the album. I've had the CD for almost four weeks now and have probably listened to it at least once almost every day during that span of time. My understanding is that this is a departure from the band's first three albums, so fans of those albums may not enjoy it as much. I had no preconceptions going in about the band and listened to the album once, fell in love with it, and purchased the CD. Highly recommended.
Free Music Review: Indie kids, get over it....accept the fact that good bands evolve.
Hit: 4 Stars
Indie hipster types once again missed the point w/ this album. They like a talented and unheralded band until that band releases a well-produced album on a major label, at which point they hop off the bandwagon to whine about how the band sold out to the mainstream and, gasp!, actually tried to sell a few records.
"Boo-hoo, this album was released by Warner Bros!! Boo-hoo, this album actually sounds like it was recorded in a studio. Boo-hoo, my favorite under-the-radar band branched out to try some new styles. Poor me, I'll have to visit the Pitchfork website to find some other obscure lo-fi band who I can follow cultishly until that band evolves, too."
Sheesh people, get over it. Why can't an album simply be judged on its merits?
This is a solid album with some standout tracks---"Smoke Detector" is one of the sexiest songs I've heard in some time, "Silver Lining" is an exceptional track, and "15" pairs some downright hilarious lyrics with a Dusty Springfield white girl groove. There are a couple of lowlights--"Dreamworld" sounds like an uninspired, unreleased B side from 1980's Fleetwood Mac--but overall this album is much like Jenny Lewis herself: alluring, playful, and 'more adventurous'.
Free Music Review: Don't listen to the "Better than thou" crowd, this is a good album
Hit: 4 Stars
I will make this quick. Having heard the 2 previous effort of Rilo Kiley(More Adventurous and The Execution of all things). This album came at a surprise style-wise. But it's probably the result of the band signing to a major label. Regardless, this album does pop-rock well enough that it does not deserve all the disdain that Rilo Kiley fan has for it. Yes it is a different album than their previous efforts, but it is still a very good effort with better production than past works(I don't understand why some would consider sharper production to be a bad thing). People shouldn't expect artist to stay the same all the time. Artists mature and wants to try different styles and that is not necessarily a bad thing(Radiohead: Kid A to Hail to the Thief; Iron & Wine: Shepherd's Dog)
At the end of the day, this is a well done pop-rock record. Is this a masterpiece? No. But neither is the 2 previous records and I'd argue this record is far more consistent.
Thumbs up to
Silver Lining
Close Call
Under the Blacklight
Jenny Lewis' vocal
Thumbs down to
The Moneymaker
Smoke Detector
15
Jenny Lewis' lyrics
Free Music Review: Worth the wait and several hundred repeat listens.
Hit: 4 Stars
Allow me to begin this with stating that I am a bit of a Rilo Kiley obsessive. I don't go reading every article on them or anything, I just listen to their music. A lot. When the single Moneymaker came out I was scared. It was a bit repetitive and I didn't take a shine, but I had faith. And rightfully so. This newest record is full of the things Rilo Kiley is known for: deceptively simple melodies that have thoughtful orchestrations and exciting embellishments, interesting lyrics that portray a slight ironic and cynical personality, and easy sing along choruses. Some of the touches, such as the neo-soul backup vocals on Breakin' Up, really brought a smile to my face. It is quite possibly their most upbeat album to date; their first party album, if you will.
Before this album, a lot of people were criticizing thir choices in producers, but the album has a beautifully polished sound and it is this reviewers humble opinion that their choices were just fine.
I give the album 4/5 stars, because I really don't care for Moneymaker and it doesn't last as long as I wish it did, with most of the songs clocking in at just around 3 minutes.