Though Rilo Kiley’s front-woman Jenny Lewis released a solo venture in 2006 following the band’s 2004 disc, putting the fear of break-up into fans, the full band returned for their new disc “Under the Blacklight,” an upbeat, off kilter, and somewhat disappointing fourth LP release for the group.
Representing a hugely new sound for the band, UBL is said by some to be a coy and satirical take on what a commercial album should be, but staking that claim may be reading into the artists’ intention. One the disc, Rilo Kiley simply went too over-produced in their attempt to make an album about the very concept of over-production, and the result is less than fun, and less than we know the band can achieve.
The disc kicks off with “Silver Lining,” one of the only memorable tracks on the album, with a folksy, foot-tapping track where Lewis’ vocals shine. “Close Call” begins the ruinous sounds of over-production on the disc, with an adult-pop beat and awkward Lewis vocals. “The Moneymaker,” the first single off the disc, is the paradox of the disc – painfully off from Rilo Kiley’s best, but happily short, and oddly alluring to hear.
The rest of the disc sadly descends into tunes that don’t do Rilo Kiley’s musical creativity justice. Even with the somehow harmonic sounding title track, and the track with the most familiar Rilo Kiley sound, “The Angels Hung Around,” the disc doesn’t provide any other pleasant enough sounding tracks to even get it off the ground.
A major change in an artist’s sound always results in a schism amongst fans – with one sect demanding the sound they fell in love with, and another touting the sound as an accomplished growth and development. Sadly, with less than memorable tracks that lack any of the passion or ingenuity that propelled previous works into classics, Rilo Kiley’s new disc doesn’t fit neatly into either camp. |