Record Review 15 Rilo Kiley: "Under The Blacklight"

Rilo Kiley
Under The Backlight



Rilo Kiley has been thrashing around for a number of years. They were an L.A. band who took off for the wilds of Omaha to take advantage of the burgeoning rock seen spawned by bands like Bright Eyes and Cursive. They thrived and Jenny Lewis who has a sweet voice and is considered “hot” and “cute” among some desperate teens became an indie rock heart throb the likes of which we have not seen since Juliana Hatfield of the Blake Babies. They had some indie rock hits on their last CD and solidified with solid touring and then moved back to L.A. where Jenny released a critically commented upon (not necessarily good or bad) CD that did not torpedo her as an individual talent. I really was a fan of that last album and really liked it both technically, song-wise and just the general feel of it. It was cool, her voice was pretty and the guitar keyboard interplay was tight. Blake Sennett toured and worked with his band “The Elected” and released an album that the critics were a little more enthusiastic about.

This CD is problematic. Blake and Jenny and company are talented but on this CD they seem a little schizophrenic and they seem to have lost their way. More then anything the whole CD seems like an exploration of styles for her voice. I say it is problematic because her voice, the hooks and the production values are all excellent but it is so disjointed in a lot of ways as to be, kind of, pleasantly jarring. While that might sound dramatic, for me it was just distracting.

The CD starts off with “Silver Lining” which sounds at the beginning like they are going to break into George Harrison's “My Sweet Lord.” There is nothing wrong with the song but with hand claps, chimes, synthesizers and guitars it is too layered for a simple straight forward song and Lewis’ lilting voice is not enough as she channels Tori Amos. The second song is “Close Call” where we get more Tori Amos (especially in the warbling) but you also get a little Cher from her “Gypsies, tramps and Thieves” days. This is not a compliment. The next song in “Moneymaker” and at this point you start to say oh my god (small G) as we get Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac...not at their best.

On the fourth song we get a break starting with some sweet strings and some synth where she starts to whisper as Sennet plinks a guitar but then the song is marred by background vocals which sound like 70’s pop (Starland Vocal Band) bullshit. Still the song lays out her vocals. The title cut “Blacklight” is better though we get Tori Amos again. But this is a really good song that is worthy of inclusion on some mix tapes. It is a simple song with some type lyrics. The songs all seem to fall for me on the chorus which is always layered and textured with something where it seems her voice would suffice. Next we get “Dreamworld” and for me things get icky again in a kitschy over produced muck where Blake is breathy and Jenny backs him up... back to the 70’s.

Dejalo as she sings in what I am going to presume is Spanish is once again ruined on the chorus. 15 might be a nasty song or even a provocative song as she sings about “him” being seduced by a 15 year old...and then there is the bad chorus...”she was only 15.” Blech! So I keep looking for a high point other then the title cut and think maybe I have one on the song “Smoke detector” and this song rocks along until Jenny is singing about a girl on the dance floor in a tube top, not wearing a bra...and I start to realize what the problem is really...Jenny has nothing to say. She wrote most of the songs and there is just not a lot of substance. We get a little of her country CD sound on “Till The Angels Come Around” and this simple ditty proves to be the next highest point on the track primarily because it is just a straight forward simple country song with a slight rocking guitar and drum. No over production and very little posing. Sweet. The CD closes with a mess called “Give A Little Love” with hand claps, drum machine, (drum machined hand claps?) along with a piano and her singing and this song sounds like it could be on any bad commercial or perhaps in one of the sad scenes on the new “Drama” “Gossip Girls.” It sucks.
So...this is a bad review. This CD is at best non essential and at worst just a directionless mess exposing Lewis as a talented singer with a nice little band along with Sennett but not with a lot else to offer. Perhaps the 70’s feel of the CD (unintentional retro) is the fault of the phalanx of “additional musicians” which appear on the CD including Jackson Browne (who I really loved in the 70’s but have never thought of as someone you would add as a “musician”. Perhaps he and Lewis are involved in yet another boring California Spring/Fall relationship which might serve as an excuse for this CD.

4 Slingers on the 10 scale