Under the Blacklight Review

After years of popularity in the indie rock scene, Rilo Kiley finally joins the mainstream with Under the Blacklight. Their devout followers might cry foul over the simpler and more standardized sound, but most everyone else will enjoy the variety that the release has to offer. Even their detractors will have a hard time bashing the imminently enjoyable and undeniably catchy Breakin Up.

Last year, after a rather rough break up, a friend of mine recommended that I listen to Portions for Foxes, the bands most successful single to date. While the driving beat was enjoyable, it was the unbelievably sharp, cynical lyrics that struck a chord with me (There’s blood in my mouth cause I’ve been biting my tongue all week/ I keep on talking trash but I never say anything). This lyrical potency carried through with Jenny Lewis’ solo album, Rabbit Furcoat. While her country influences certainly took center stage, slightly quirky lyrics mixed with a nice splash of cynicism carried over from Rilo Kiley.

I’ve listened to some of Rilo Kiley’s earlier material, and overall I’m a bit unimpressed. While the band certainly plays around with conventions more often than not, I found some songs to stray too far off the beaten path. It is with that overlong intro that I finally cracked open Under the Blacklight and discovered that Rilo Kiley has once again played musical hopscotch from their standard country-pop roots to ethereal whimsy to BritPop and more. The song subjects bounce around nearly as much, with light, fluffy songs sitting side by side pedophilia and the life of a call girl. Even more surprising is that despite the albums diversity, despite the simpler lyrics, despite the band member’s many solo projects; Under the Blacklight remains cohesive, clever, and clearly a fun trip.

Tracklistings:
1. Silver Lining 3/5 – A relatively straightforward Rilo Kiley song that both sets the tone and stands as a starting point to contrast the album’s more fanciful departures.
2. Close Call – 4/5 The album pace speeds up a bit as the subject matter turns to prostitution. I’ve read a lot of criticism about Rilo Kiley switching to a more standard Chorus verse chorus structure but this song serves as evidence that by reeling in the band’s musical eccentricities but keeping the razop sharp lyrics only enhances the band’s strengths.
3. Moneymaker – 5/5. From prostitution to a 70s funk inspired romp all about “shaking your moneymaker”, Rilo Kiley loves their contrasts. Even better is The Moneymaker’s surging bass line that made even this awkward white guy want to get up and shake his moneymaker.
4. Breakin’ Up – 4/5 Even when the band covers standard topics such as relationships, Rilo Kiley can’t resist playing with conventions. The verses and subtle background instrumentation that leads to a nice solo all work fine and dandy, but the refrain of “Breakin Up” throughout the song transform it to something much more catchy and enjoyable.
5. Under the Blacklight – 4/5. Standard Rilo fare, with a fun little chorus to boot.
6. Dreamworld 5/5 – Apparently another RK member also leads the electronic group The Elected. While I’ve yet to check them out, he takes over the vocals for a trip down the ethereal; side of the spectrum. Trippy, dancey, and completely awesome about sums up my feelings about this song.
7. Dejalo 5/5 – Another song falling in the “catchy” category, Dejalo demands to be played in every club possible. This song has it all. A funky refrain, a slightly groovey bass line, and perhaps the best lyrics of the album. (I’ve got a tail if you wanna chase it/ I got a tongue if you want to taste it/ I’ve got a place on the east side/ I’ve got some time if you wanna).
8. 15 5/5. The album returns to the band’s alt-country-pop roots with a lovely ballad about statutory rape. Ah, Rilo Kiley. Such softies. While I’ve had a few bouts of age different relationships myself (19 and 17), this song shows that even when Rilo Kiley shoots for the mainstream they end up somewhere else entirely. Luckily, I could care less.
9. Smoke Detector 3/5 – Rilo Kiley does BritPop. The band almost pulls off the lame smoke detector metaphor, but it’s just too cutesy and simple for such a witty band.
10. The Angels Hung Around – 5/5. Despite sounding like it could have easily been on Rabbit Furcoat, Jenny Lewis can deliver the straight country-pop like no one else.
11. Give a Little Love- The album concludes with a mellow piano centric that flirts with a bit of R&B before concluding.

I suspect that Under the Blacklight will polarize fans much quicker than their previous releases. Some will denounce the move towards radio friendly fare, others will harp on the difficulty of describing the “Rilo Kiley” sound, and still others will be straight puzzled by this release. As for me, I’ve got tickets to their next show.