Rilo Kiley's gotta be the stereotypical indie high school girl band. And I don't mean that in a totally negative way, or that guys don't like the band too. Or that Blake Sennett is really a high school girl. But if you were a misunderstood 16-year-old girl just discovering non-radio fare in 2003, when The Execution Of All Things came out, don't even pretend you didn't want to be Jenny Lewis. Don't tell me you didn't drive around belting out the chorus from "With Arms Outstretched" (which I still contend is a great song) or suffer one botched attempt at achieving her redheadedness. And back then, you could find at least a few kids in your 5th period English class who hadn't heard of the band and feel super-cool. With More Adventurous, that seemed to change, as the band moved closer to the more-polished sound it exhibits (to a fault, perhaps) on Under The Black Light, gaining a wider audience in the process.
My sentiments on the new Rilo Kiley album echo my 16-year-old self's motto: "If you start out depressed, everything's kind of a pleasant surprise" (my inner 16-year-old also thought Say Anything... was the pinnacle of American cinema, go figure). And you know what? Haters be damned, I'm enjoying this album way more than I expected to. Probably way more than I should. 'Cause we've all got to indulge our inner 16-year-old sometimes, pretending to be a little bit badder and cooler than we really are. Does it make for the album of the year (or even rank it close up there)? Naw. But it's fun all the way through, with a knowing wink from the band.
Anyhow, here's "Silver Lining," which I (the me of both past and present) enjoy a lot. And you can check out the wedding day fabulousness of the video on Spinner.
LISTEN:
"Silver Lining" [MP3]
ON THE WEB:
Rilo Kiley's website
Rilo Kiley on MySpace
2 comments:
What an old photo of Rilo Kiley =P
I never grew up with Rilo Kiley, maybe that's a good thing.
Post a Comment