It's OK to buy Rilo Kiley, even the new one!

Before picking up Under the Blacklight I knew nothing of Rilo Kiley. I thought it was a person, perhaps mistaking them for Ike Reilly who I had checked out at various points due to Springsteen comparisons. Going in I wasn’t sure if Rilo Kiley was a he or a she.

Turns out they’re a band, or sort of a band. More like a remarkable lead singer who has people playing music with her. You might have seen Rilo Kiley on the cover of the new Spin magazine proclaimed as the next Fleetwood Mac. Wow, strong words indeed. That got my attention.

With the Rilo Kiley record I had something happen I hadn’t yet experienced doing the blog. Several people went out of their way to let me know that Under the Blacklight was nowhere near as good as Rilo Kiley’s previous efforts. Target didn’t stock Rilo Kiley when I went to buy it all I could find was R. Kelly which I thought was quite funny and actually considered reviewing just for the fuck of it. When I went down to Barnes & Noble (my Tuesday music Plan B), and told the clerk I was looking for Rilo Kiley, he asked me in sort of a panicked way, “Which one?” He then went on to try and steer me towards one of their previous records that he had displayed on his personal collection of cool music on a table in the corner of the store. At one point I had to actually ask him if he thought there was a chance I might actually like the new record if I hadn’t heard the band’s previous work and was oblivious to how far they had fallen. He wasn’t sure. He sort of washed his hands of the whole affair as if to say he couldn’t guarantee I would like that one like the others.

Having spent considerable time listening to Under the Blacklight I find these exchanges pretty funny now, because Under the Blacklight is really a nice little record., especially if it’s your introduction to Rilo Kiley.

The first track “Silver Lining” is my standout number. It’s a breath of fresh air songbird track. And lead singer Jenny Lewis should be huge. Wow, she’s like some sort of vintage female vocalist wrapped up in sexy Indie charm. Bet she blows minds live. I could listen to her all day long. Given the right opportunity I think Lewis can make music that we listen to for years instead of seasons.

“Silver Lining” is a cruising song that sounds like velvet. The apex is about 2:20 in where we hear the tingle of the triangle over “and the grass it was a ticking and the sun it was alive, and I never felt so wicked as when I willed our love to die” lyric. Killer stuff.

You’ll also want to check out the little disco ditty “Breakin’ Up.” It’s sort of a modern “I will survive,” opening with a great first person lyric, “it’s not as if New York City burnt down to the ground once you drove away.” “Breakin’ Up” sounds as fresh as starting over feels with a little groovy tossed in for good measure. Close your eyes and you’ll see Rene Zellweger singing into a hair dryer. The movies and Fall TV will be lining up to use this one. When Lewis sings “Feels good to be free!” from the other side of the relationship you can’t help but believe she’s telling the truth.

“Close call” is nothing special, a plodding number beyond the “funny thing about money for sex, you might get rich, but you die by it” lyric that is sure to stick to your ribs. “The Moneymaker” gets the band out front a little bit with a swanky guitar groove and will sound great under the colored lights live. The title track “Under the Blacklight” starts big before ultimately letting you down, but there are hints of Fleetwood Mac here for sure.

“Smoke Detector” is another fun Scissor Sisters type dance groove, and if someone hasn’t already come up with the silly dance that goes along with this song it will be on YouTube shortly. “15” is a great little country song but it’s tough to listen to the story of this ill advised hookup with an underage girl too loud or too many times before you start expecting Dateline to show up.

In short, there’s no reason to avoid Under the Blacklight. And you should check out Rilo Kiley the band for sure. Even if you don’t, you’ll likely hear from Jenny Lewis. She’s bound to get her Gwen Stefani groove on eventually and explode on the mainstream scene. Songs like “Dejalo” and lyrics like “He was deep like a graveyard, she was ripe as a peach” show her considerable range and potential. I’d like to see her spread her wings and fly, and that may or may not involve the rest of the band.