Rilo Kiley - The New Fleetwood Mac?

[Livia]

They're on the cover of the new SPIN - ^^ that's the headline with an asterisk, then the cover folds out and it says:

*All they need is some righteous facial hair, witches' frocks, and a marching band. :laugh:

Haven't read the article yet, it was in my mailbox when I went home for lunch. But I flipped through, and there's a pic of the BN cover with a caption that says something like, "Stevie and Lindsey in happier, nakeder times."

[David]

They're on the cover of the new SPIN - ^^ that's the headline with an asterisk, then the cover folds out and it says:

*All they need is some righteous facial hair, witches' frocks, and a marching band. :laugh:

Haven't read the article yet, it was in my mailbox when I went home for lunch. But I flipped through, and there's a pic of the BN cover with a caption that says something like, "Stevie and Lindsey in happier, nakeder times."Thanks for the heads up, Livia.

I guess the real Fleetwood Mac has given rise to many many other Fleetwood Macs, some of them staring back at us from the magazine page & others dancing across the stages of the world at places like IHOP.

I thought this was sort of interesting:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgBRQwolAY&mode=related&search=

And yet sort of odd & even somewhat frightening, too. In fact, I'm a great big bundle of emotions when I watch it.

[GardenStateGirlie]

from merf...cause she's awesome...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/meadowsoprano/spin.jpg

i'm surprised no one else has chimed in yet -- carrie? greg?

[carrie721]

figures, i'm actually sitting here listening to the album for about the 4th time today ... :laugh:

i think there are obvious similarities ... but there doesn't seem to be the same kind of overt antagonism between blake & jenny that has been palpable between SN&LB for the last, oh ... 150 years or so. and that's what keeps RK a vital artistic force rather than merely a moneymaker (o hay puns are fun) like FM. and thanks to merf for the scan. i'd go broke if i tried to buy every magazine that had a spread on my favorite bands/people.

[GardenStateGirlie]

figures, i'm actually sitting here listening to the album for about the 4th time today ... :laugh:

i think there are obvious similarities ... but there doesn't seem to be the same kind of overt antagonism between blake & jenny that has been palpable between SN&LB for the last, oh ... 150 years or so. and that's what keeps RK a vital artistic force rather than merely a moneymaker (o hay puns are fun) like FM. and thanks to merf for the scan. i'd go broke if i tried to buy every magazine that had a spread on my favorite bands/people.

duuuude. it's SO DAMN GOOD OMG. i just cannot stand 15 and smoke detector but that seems to be what most kiley fans aren't into. i love how they're back to back, too. barf, jlew...barf. perhaps they'll grow on me but as of now, whenever i play the album i don't get too jazzed when they come on.

apart from the obvious similarities (i.e. relationship), dreamworld specifically seems like blake channeled lindsey buckingham circa 1987 tango in the night -- the guitar work bares an uncanny resemblance to the whole vibe of that era as does the faded echo technique he has going on during the chorus. it's craziness. sometimes when i listen to the song, i can kind of imagine what buckingham and nicks would sound like on the track.

buckingham and blake are both visionaries for sure. i'd be into them both collaborating on something together.

[carrie721]

duuuude. it's SO DAMN GOOD OMG.

seriously. having it on repeat isn't even a voluntary thing, it's just ... i can't help it. although at the moment i'm a liar because right now i'm listening to more adventurous.

i just cannot stand 15 and smoke detector but that seems to be what most kiley fans aren't into. i love how they're back to back, too. barf, jlew...barf. perhaps they'll grow on me but as of now, whenever i play the album i don't get too jazzed when they come on.

i kind of dig the raunchy gaucheness of 15 ... and i think it's a great vocal. smoke detector ... idk. it's as if she was trying to evoke the same simplicity found in the frug, but it doesn't wash for me. if anything, my complaint about the album is that it's unbalanced. the first 6 tracks are so strong, and then it kind of trails off a bit.

apart from the obvious similarities (i.e. relationship), dreamworld specifically seems like blake channeled lindsey buckingham circa 1987 tango in the night -- the guitar work bares an uncanny resemblance to the whole vibe of that era as does the faded echo technique he has going on during the chorus. it's craziness. sometimes when i listen to the song, i can kind of imagine what buckingham and nicks would sound like on the track.

without a doubt. if you can't hear the similarities between dreamworld and LB's TITN songs you're just not paying attention. the vocals also seem a little scissor sisters-y but that's neither here nor there.

at the moment my favorite tracks are under the blacklight and close call. i love the crazy open harmonies on UTB and close call harkens back to early RK way more successfully than smoke detector does.

buckingham and blake are both visionaries for sure. i'd be into them both collaborating on something together.

word!

[JazmenFlowers]

I'm kinda new to RK (where have I been, I know.), but I can't stop listening to this album. it's such lushy goodness.

[mylittledemon]

DreamWorld is the best track on the album! Reminds me of Fleetwood Mac, in a way. What a great song. Very catchy.

I do like Moneymaker, Silver Lining and Close Call. Great album all around.

[shackin'up]

well, i didn't know them, only their name from here. So I tried the new album today. Didn't impress me much, although she has a pretty voice, it seems that she's not very diverse in tone throughout the album. that gets on my nerves a little. For me the song 15 stands out. not lyricly, but musically. and there are some really funky/freaky production-gags in some songs. AND: I want more harmonizing! everytime THAT happens they get something extra. And at those moments I hear The Connection.

[TrueFaith77]

Well I just ordered on Amazon. I'm intrigued, but I'm going to try to keep all Mac comparisons outta my head when i listen...

[trackaghost]

I like the new album, but I'd say it's easily their worst effort, and one where they are clearly going for crossover appeal (two videos already?) the exception being the sublime Dreamworld, which is one of my very favourite things they've done.

[mylittledemon]

although she has a pretty voice, it seems that she's not very diverse in tone throughout the album.

Hmm. Kinda like Stevie on SYW.

[Beachwood Mac]

For those that download off of dimeadozen...newly added

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=159703

Rilo Kiley
Islington Academy, London
2007-08-20
====

Source: Audience
Lineage: Sony MZ-NH600 w/Sony ECM - 719 (Mic) > SonicStage 4.3 > WAV > Audacity 1.2.6 > WAV > FLAC
Link: http://www.rilokiley.net/viewtopic.php?t=12185

Setlist:
01 It's A Hit
02 Close Call
03 Portions For Foxes
04 Paint's Peeling
05 Breakin' Up
06 Dreamworld
07 Moneymaker
08 Wires and Waves
09 Ripchord
10 Under The Blacklight
11 Silver Lining
12 Smoke Detector
13 Dejalo
14 15
15 Rise Up With Fists (Cover)
16 Spectacular Views
17 Encore Break
18 Give a Little Love
19 Does He Love You?

Recording, Editing and Artwork by Ben Grubb
Photography by Lorne Thomson and Ben Grubb

Artwork is included in the torrent.

[mylittledemon]

I like the new album, but I'd say it's easily their worst effort, and one where they are clearly going for crossover appeal (two videos already?) the exception being the sublime Dreamworld, which is one of my very favourite things they've done.

Yeah Dreamworld reminds me of Nightbird...the drum intro. Then a splash of Dreams offa Rumours.

[shackin'up]

Hmm. Kinda like Stevie on SYW.

Yep. VERY true.

[shackin'up]

I like the new album, but I'd say it's easily their worst effort, and one where they are clearly going for crossover appeal (two videos already?) the exception being the sublime Dreamworld, which is one of my very favourite things they've done.


Hmm, ironicly, that's one with a male leadvocal and the song is so shamelessly Fleetwood mac in sound that I'm actually missing Lindsey's vocal and Stevie's backing. I'm afraid this is not my cup of tea.

[trackaghost]

For those that download off of dimeadozen...newly added

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=159703

Rilo Kiley
Islington Academy, London
2007-08-20
====

Source: Audience
Lineage: Sony MZ-NH600 w/Sony ECM - 719 (Mic) > SonicStage 4.3 > WAV > Audacity 1.2.6 > WAV > FLAC
Link: http://www.rilokiley.net/viewtopic.php?t=12185

Setlist:
01 It's A Hit
02 Close Call
03 Portions For Foxes
04 Paint's Peeling
05 Breakin' Up
06 Dreamworld
07 Moneymaker
08 Wires and Waves
09 Ripchord
10 Under The Blacklight
11 Silver Lining
12 Smoke Detector
13 Dejalo
14 15
15 Rise Up With Fists (Cover)
16 Spectacular Views
17 Encore Break
18 Give a Little Love
19 Does He Love You?

Recording, Editing and Artwork by Ben Grubb
Photography by Lorne Thomson and Ben Grubb

Artwork is included in the torrent.

I don't suppose someone would download this for me?
I was actually at this gig earlier this week.

[Beachwood Mac]

I don't suppose someone would download this for me?
I was actually at this gig earlier this week.

I already downloaded it. PM me and I'll send you the discs.

Terry

[GarboSpeaks!]

Ok, so I read this thread, got intrigued and went and bought it. Smoke Detector just ended. Not thru the whole album yet. It's saving grace so far is Moneymaker. I like that song. 15 &SD, they are ok. I am REALLY ar about buying new music uneard, but generally it pays off. I can see this album getting stuck in my head, but longevity...dunno. And this Jenny chick. I'm gonna do some research, but hasn't she had a career before this band? And have they been around a bit? I also bought Feist. A lot of people are comparing her to Siouxsie. I know it's not right to compare artists, but I take comfort in the likely sound I'll be purchasing. ;)

[Livia]

http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/street/2007/09/albums_the_darker_side_of_la.html

Rilo Kiley
"Under the Blacklight"
Warner Bros.
*** 1/2

Rather than dropping the two-word f-bomb so common to bad breakups, Jenny Lewis bids love goodbye with giddy resolve on the first Rilo Kiley album in three years. The object of her ferment could be ex-paramour (and RK guitarist) Blake Sennett, if that satisfies your Fleetwood Mac-ish jones for intra-band incest. But the target of Lewis' charmingly piquant brushoffs is immaterial. The L.A. of "Under the Blacklight" - Rilo Kiley's L.A. - is a micro-world of the jilted, the decadent, the imperiled.

That's what makes "Blacklight" the little (the record runs under 40 minutes total) thrill ride that it is.

The first and best of the breakup songs, "Silver Lining," kick-starts the self-therapy. A country tune in pop-rock disguise, it finds Lewis reveling in the aftermath: I never felt so wicked / As when I willed our love to die, and, she positively croons the chorus: Hooray, hooray, I'm your silver lining / Hooray, hooray, but now I'm gold. No less than Lucinda Williams would be proud (though I can't imagine her singing "hooray").

Lewis is more brazen still three tracks later, on the bubbly "Breakin' Up," affirming: Ooh! It feels good to be free. Even the Latin funk of "Dejalo" and the jaunty "The Angels Hung Around" smack of love-gone-bad.

Read last Thursday's Night&Day for the full review by David Coddon or click here.

Photo: Autumn DeWilde

[Sarah]

I also bought Feist. A lot of people are comparing her to Siouxsie. I know it's not right to compare artists, but I take comfort in the likely sound I'll be purchasing. ;)

I'm not a RK fan, so I'll stay out of that discussion, but I love Feist. She's fresh as hell.

[JazmenFlowers]

I don't suppose someone would download this for me?
I was actually at this gig earlier this week.
I'd love this as well if someone could upload it for us...

[SpyNote]

I think the comparison to Fleetwood Mac is a little off point as far as their sound goes. But I've only heard one song, Dreamworld, which sounds more like Lindsey's Trouble than anything else Fleetwood Mac ever put out.

[rbs3676]

I like BLACKLIGHT but I dont love it. And I'm a fan. "Dreamworld" is the standout and Blake did a great job.
I think Jenny is just an awesome talent, but I would much rather listen to RABBIT FUR COAT (which I adored) any day than the new RK release.

rbs

[carrie721]

I think the comparison to Fleetwood Mac is a little off point as far as their sound goes. But I've only heard one song, Dreamworld, which sounds more like Lindsey's Trouble than anything else Fleetwood Mac ever put out.

wow, you think? to me it sounds like it could be an outtake from TITN.

I like BLACKLIGHT but I dont love it. And I'm a fan. "Dreamworld" is the standout and Blake did a great job.
I think Jenny is just an awesome talent, but I would much rather listen to RABBIT FUR COAT (which I adored) any day than the new RK release.

rbs

after multiple listens (and by multiple, i mean ... about 20 :laugh: ) ... i agree. i find myself listening to tracks 1-6 a lot, but after that i lose interest. however, i'd rather listen to more adventurous than RFC. that album kills me.

[JazmenFlowers]

^^^
1-6 is the best part of the album, but I can't NOT listen to Dejalo and Smoke Detector tbh. :laugh:

[GarboSpeaks!]

OK, so this album is really catching on for me. Damn you Livia. :xoxo: kidding! I like just about all of it. 15 & SD dont' bother me, but I don't know their sound before, so this whole album seems to work. Thing about SD is though you mostly hang on to the main part of the song, the story it's telling is catchy.

So, Rab Fur Coat. Can anyone tell me why I ought to buy it or why not? I heard that name and album FOREVER ago a few years back. Now I know why I thought I had heard JL before. And any of their earlier stuff? Worthwhile? Thanks!!!!!!

[carrie721]

OK, so this album is really catching on for me. Damn you Livia. :xoxo: kidding! I like just about all of it. 15 & SD dont' bother me, but I don't know their sound before, so this whole album seems to work. Thing about SD is though you mostly hang on to the main part of the song, the story it's telling is catchy.

So, Rab Fur Coat. Can anyone tell me why I ought to buy it or why not? I heard that name and album FOREVER ago a few years back. Now I know why I thought I had heard JL before. And any of their earlier stuff? Worthwhile? Thanks!!!!!!

ooh girl. rabbit fur coat is a lovely country album that jenny released last year. personally i think the lyrics are a bit weak in spots but the harmonies with the watson twins are killerrrrr. if you want to get to know the RK catalogue, i say just work your way backwards. their previous release, more adventurous (2004) is pretty much flawless ... it manages to cover a wide range of sounds and styles without sounding schizo. definitely my favorite album of theirs.

[trackaghost]

OMG!

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BWqEn8RqEQc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BWqEn8RqEQc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

[JazmenFlowers]

^^^

1) Perez Hilton looks gawful.

2) is that Bobbye Hall?! :eek::lol:

3) who's doing the harmonies on the verses?

[DeadliestPoison]

2) is that Bobbye Hall?! :eek::lol:
I think that's Kristin -- she's the singer & drummer in another band called Grand Ole Party (http://www.myspace.com/grandoleparty). They're opening for RK during part of this tour.

3) who's doing the harmonies on the verses?
ORENDAAAAAAAAA. Orenda Fink. <3 <3 <3

I'm stoked they did "Dreamworld," as it's my favorite on the album. And I love that Jenny was effectively sideline'd for the performance. They did "Close Call," "The Moneymaker," "Portions For Foxes," and "With Arms Outstretched" later.

[The Catdancer]

Fleetwood Mac comparisons easy to see at Rilo Kiley show

By NATE LIPPENS
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

Los Angeles band Rilo Kiley played to a sold-out, all-ages crowd Saturday night at the Showbox. A mix of hipsters, teenage girls dressed like lead singer Jenny Lewis (vintage dresses, black tights, white face powder), and slightly uncomfortable-looking weekend warriors filled the venue to capacity. Everyone bobbed along to the band's tight set, which drew heavily from the new batch of songs on "Under the Blacklight." Older numbers were punched up, with a heavier emphasis on the rhythm section.

MUSIC REVIEW

RILO KILEY W/JONATHAN RICE

WHERE: Showbox at the Market.

WHEN: Saturday Sept.8.

The focal point of the show remains Lewis, who combines the unflappable and slightly distant cool of early Blondie's Debbie Harry with an understated sex appeal and commanding stage presence. Guitarist Blake Sennett struck a spastic, stylized series of poses that would make Lindsay Buckingham proud and underscored the Fleetwood Mac comparisons that are being lavished on the band by rock critics.

Part of this comparison comes from the very '80s California pop sound suffusing "Under the Blacklight," which is a departure from the country-tinged mood of their earlier albums.

Then there's Sennett's and Lewis' broken romantic history, another Fleetwood Mac echo. Of course, from the funk-infused single about the porn industry, "Moneymaker," to the slinky and soulful "Breakin' Up," it's clear that the band is cribbing from a variety of sources without turning into a pastiche.

The lyrics are simpler than the clotted verbiage of past albums, but they are also darker.

The California that Lewis sketches out in songs such as "Close Call" and "15" is closer to the sleaze and disillusionment of seminal punk band X's angry dreams than Fleetwood Mac's blue skies. ("15" is about underage Internet sex. "How could he have known that she was only 15?" goes the chorus.)

There's a friction between Lewis' coquettish delivery and the cynicism of the band's lyrics.

Tough vignettes and hard-luck characters you might find inside a country ballad are lurking inside shimmering pop songs.

The band delivered all of this with panache. When they turned to songs from 2005's "More Adventurous," it became clear that their stylistic restlessness may be one of their greatest assets.
Nate Lippens is a Seattle-based writer. He can be reached at [email protected].

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/330992_kiley10q.html

[TrueFaith77]

The California that Lewis sketches out in songs such as "Close Call" and "15" is closer to the sleaze and disillusionment of seminal punk band X's angry dreams than Fleetwood Mac's blue skies. ("15" is about underage Internet sex. "How could he have known that she was only 15?" goes the chorus.)

There's a friction between Lewis' coquettish delivery and the cynicism of the band's lyrics.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/330992_kiley10q.html

I actually just read this the other day. It made me so angry. First of all, I hate this X-Mac dichotomy. Second, I don't hold a grudge against Rilo Kiley, but they'll never compare to Fleetwood Mac and X.

[Livia]

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2007-09-27/music/rilo-confidential/


Rilo Confidential
Can a band reared on indie ethos survive a move to the majors, flak from its fans, and its own emotional upheaval?
By Lee Zimmerman
Published: September 27, 2007


autumn de wilde
The sleek look of a band on the rise

Details:
Rilo Kiley performs at 7 p.m. Monday, October 1, at Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Art in Manila and Grand Ole Party are also on the bill. Tickets cost $20, and doors open at 7 p.m. Call 954-727-0950, or visit www.jointherevolution.net.Rilo Kiley is on an ascent. It's one that may take them from cult status all the way to the big leagues, as far as the music industry is concerned. With a critically acclaimed new album on the streets and a major label backing them, now is a telling time for these former indie icons trying to navigate unfamiliar territory.

Then again, Rilo Kiley is accustomed to the roller-coaster ride accorded by showbiz... or, for that matter, drama in general. The band's two principals and cofounders, Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, are, after all, former child actors (mostly on television shows like, for her, Roseanne and Pleasantville and, for him, Family Ties and Third Rock From the Sun). When they released their aptly titled debut, Take Offs and Landings, in 2001, their relationship was both personal and professional. But by the time the group — which includes drummer Jason Boesel and bassist Pierre de Reeder — released The Execution of All Things a year later, Lewis and Sennett's romance was on the rocks. Still, the music remained as indelible as ever. Their effusive melodies, iridescent arrangements, and an uncanny ability to cross the divide from brash, bubbly indie pop to edgy Americana to Lewis' teary-eyed torch songs put them in the same league as Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, and a handful of other indie outfits whose musical charms seemed ready-made for mass consumption.

Although their third album, More Adventurous, was distributed by Warner Bros. in 2004, its follow-up, Under the Blacklight, found them actually recording on a major company contract. Still, reaching the masses via a juggernaut label like Warner can bring about a moment of reckoning and, for some bands, even a crisis of conscience. Does accepting the helping hand of a big-time, multinational conglomerate also mean sacrificing independence and integrity for the sake of a hit?

"I see that all the time, and at times, we struggled with it ourselves," Boesel confides via phone from Chicago. "It's a tough thing in any artistic profession to make that leap to the masses. It can be uncomfortable to expose yourself to so many more people. I think major labels keep going for that. But I also think major labels are no longer equated with big huge record sales anymore. Look at Arcade Fire. They aren't on a major label, but they're selling tons of records.

Still, one has to wonder if the record-company suits tried to tamper with the band's pop precepts, perhaps even coercing it into crafting something commercial enough to compete with Justin, Fergie, or any of those other formula-fueled acts dominating the charts these days.

"I think there are certain artists that experience that, and I guess there are artists signed to labels under a different pretense," Boesel reasons. "But we came to the label with a track history and a pretty decent-sized fan base. So they kind of took us on for what we were and just let us make the record we wanted to make."

Boesel is adamant that, despite its sound, Under the Blacklight wasn't conceived with a major label in mind. "I don't think it had an overall effect [on] what we were doing in the studio," he asserts. "It was a personal choice on the band's part. We had more freedom, believe it or not... to be in the studio longer and try things we wanted to do, switch producers or not switch producers halfway through... all things I don't think we would have felt comfortable doing if we were on a smaller label, monetarily speaking."

Boesel's denials aside, Under the Blacklight does bear the sound of a major-label opus, given its glossy arrangements, catchy hooks, and ready refrains. Songs such as "Silver Lining," "The Angels Hung Around," and "Close Call" as well as the title track draw obvious references to such radio-ready templates as Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and the Eagles, given Rilo's preoccupation with Southern California '70s soft-rock sensibilities. Other tracks, "The Moneymaker" and "Dejalo" in particular, recall the L.A. new wave sound of the Motels and Missing Persons, circa the same era.

"We just kind of went after those sounds and had fun doing it," Boesel says. "We kind of referenced all these records that we loved, like Fleetwood Mac. Their albums were extremely glossy. We just kind of liked the way that stuff sounded and wanted to explore it."

Inevitably, though, some fans see the band's ambitions as evidence that it's selling out. Mixed reviews followed the album as well, with everyone from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone taking small jabs at the band for its well-financed sound. It's a complaint Boesel is aware of.

One thing all can agree on is that Rilo Kiley's music remains rife with sexual tension. That's especially evident in such songs as "Breakin' Up" and "15" from the new album and earlier outpourings like "Does He Love You," "Love and War," and "My Slumbering Heart." Much like their heroes Fleetwood Mac, Lewis and Sennett have rarely shied from sharing their romantic wreckage with listeners. Each has also recorded outside the band — Lewis with the Watson Sisters and Sennett under the aegis of the Elected — which might make things uncomfortable for their colleagues.

"Yeah," Boesel says. "When I first started in the band, they had just broken up, so that's inherently awkward. To get out of a relationship and then be forced to tour with that person for like a year... It's strange, but the nature of their relationship is strange. It wouldn't allow them to be together, but it also allows them to spend a lot of time with each other. Personally, I don't think anyone really wants to hang out with their ex."

So does it ever get weird? "It's not too bad," Boesel says. "Pierre and I just sort of stay out of it. They have their issues that they work out, and we kind of just let them go. It works out well."

As have the band's fortunes. With the attention Under the Blacklight has garnered from its first week of release, it appears expectations have definitely been heightened. "Yeah, I think there's a feeling — just with all the press and stuff like that," Boesel observes. "Certain aspects are definitely exciting, but it's not like overnight there's 100,000 people at every show. It's definitely always been a gradual climb, but I think that this record is a definite ascension."

[mylittledemon]

Well I wouldnt call any band the "new" Fleetwood Mac. Just the same if any band came along and they were calling them the "new U2"...well no band is ever going to take the place of these artists. I do, though, hear the Fleetwood Macish-ness in the latest Rilo Kiley album. I *think* one of the guitar players even plays like Lindsey.

[Sarah]

I *think* one of the guitar players even plays like Lindsey.

blasphemy.

thou shalt have no other lindseys before me. :mad:

[mylittledemon]

blasphemy.

thou shalt have no other lindseys before me. :mad:

Yeah I think I saw him playing pick-less in one of their vids.

[Sarah]

Yeah I think I saw him playing pick-less in one of their vids.

Just because there isn't a pick, that doesn't mean he plays like Lindsey. :laugh:

[GarboSpeaks!]

"X" ?!?!?!!? Are they effin high or sumthin? Do they just mean in the relationship world? Cause an "X" comparison musically, well I just don't see that at all. An FM "relationship/california-LA-sound" ok, but even that point is quickly thinning for me. I've just bought Take Off's & Landings today, so I'll give my final "what I think" <not really cause surely ya'll don't g-a-f> but I'm seein' what the big hype all around is. I still comletely love UTBL though. Donka!

[GarboSpeaks!]

ooh girl. rabbit fur coat is a lovely country album that jenny released last year. personally i think the lyrics are a bit weak in spots but the harmonies with the watson twins are killerrrrr. if you want to get to know the RK catalogue, i say just work your way backwards. their previous release, more adventurous (2004) is pretty much flawless ... it manages to cover a wide range of sounds and styles without sounding schizo. definitely my favorite album of theirs.


Hmm, thought I had posted my view of MA for you, cause I'm intrigued to hear what people's favs are. I like it, but don't love it. What stands out for me is Love & War. I like that song. But then one that Sennett sings alone. Ripchord I think. Shoot me in the head. But I'm trying to find good. :laugh: Tomorrow I'll get a chance to listen to T'off's & L's. There is one more though right? 4 releases as RK?

[carrie721]

Hmm, thought I had posted my view of MA for you, cause I'm intrigued to hear what people's favs are. I like it, but don't love it. What stands out for me is Love & War. I like that song. But then one that Sennett sings alone. Ripchord I think. Shoot me in the head. But I'm trying to find good. :laugh: Tomorrow I'll get a chance to listen to T'off's & L's. There is one more though right? 4 releases as RK?

i hated - hated - ripchord until i saw him do it live on ACL. then i kinda fell in love. i just love MA, though - especially "i never," "me a man then jim," and the title track. and, like, all the others :laugh: and yes, there's one more - the execution of all things. i like that one more than TOAL, but i'm curious what you think of TOAL :D

[JazmenFlowers]

"me a man then jim,"
one of the best songs ever.

[carrie721]

^you ain't lyin', friend.

[Livia]

Rilo Kiley: All About Jenny
posted by JimAbbott on Oct 3, 2007 2:02:13 AM

Rilo Kiley isn't the new Fleetwood Mac, as Spin magazine suggested on a recent cover, but the poppy songs on the new Under the Blacklight indicate the band is ready for such mainstream comparisons.

In concert before an attentive audience on Tuesday at House of Blues, lead singer Jenny Lewis and her musical partner/ex-romantic foil Blake Sennett mixed a good deal of the new material with older favorites in a 90-minute set.

Lewis, with her long legs and long red bangs, was the focus of the crowd's devotion, with good reason. She delivers a song with almost theatrical style, whether playing guitar, keyboards or prowling the stage as she did in "With Arms Outstretched."

That song, introduced only by Sennett's acoustic guitar, marked her return to the stage after Sennett's solitary, ukulele-powered "Ripchord."

His "unplugged" interlude was a nice contrast to the band, but it also lacked the electricity that radiated when Lewis was onstage. Even Sennett's muddled lead singing in "Dreamworld," the most Fleetwood Mac-ian of the Blacklight songs, was oddly ineffective.

Some of the new songs paled against the urgency of older material such as the opening "It's a Hit" and the exuberant "Portions for Foxes."

By comparison, Blacklight's "Breakin' Up" is overly cute and "The Moneymaker" needed all the strobes that the band used to bolster the beat.

More subtle and expressive was the 30-minute opening set by Art in Manila. Fronted by the ethereal Orenda Fink, the band put out a textured, lovely sound that rocked gently on songs such as "Anything You Love" and "Set the Woods on Fire," the title track of the band's new album.

"Can you hear me through my hair?" Fink asked the crowd, alluding to the bangs that covered half her face. Art in Manila was followed by the three-piece Grand Ole Party, which banged away harder, but less inventively, for 30 minutes of its own.

At its best, Rilo Kiley flexed its own muscles on songs such as the More Adventurous track "A Man/Me/Then Jim" to wring emotion out of intricate narratives.

That doesn't make it the next Fleetwood Mac, but a band with the potential to be something more original.


http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/10/rilo-kiley-all-.html

[Serrart]

I quite like Rilo Kiley. They're a bit "light" but interesting. I agree though that any comparison with FM doesn't make sense.

Romy

[David]

I quite like Rilo Kiley. They're a bit "light" but interesting. I agree though that any comparison with FM doesn't make sense.

Romy"Dreamworld," which I just heard, is obviously an attempt to emulate the "Dreams" chord progression & ambience. But other than that, it doesn't have any more Fleetwood Mac style than that French & Saunders parody -- "Dream Woman"? -- did.

[Livia]

http://media.www.laloyolan.com/media/storage/paper803/news/2007/10/29/Entertainment/The-New.Fleetwood.Mac-3062201.shtml

Rilo Kiley, lead by former child actors Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, have been called the new Fleetwood Mac.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The New Fleetwood Mac?
Concert Review
By: Tory Rozzi
Posted: 10/29/07
Any time a concert contains an opening act of a Dolly Parton impersonator lip-synching Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," you know you are going to be in for one hell of a night from a different planet. Not to say that the two other opening bands did not have their chance to impress the crowd of hipsters that filled The Grove theatre on Oct. 14.

Grand Ole Party were able to impress the crowd of diehard Rilo Kiley fans who were front row three minutes after the venue opened its doors. By the time the Bird and the Bee hit the stage, the crowd had significantly increased, as did their reception of the music. The duo, whose lead singer and bass player is reminiscent of a more serene and way less manic Karen O, really captivated the crowd with "La La La" and "F***ing Boyfriend" and sent the kids running back to the merch table to scoop up the CD.

After the Dolly Parton impersonator finished her short yet wildly entertaining set, she was joined onstage by Rilo Kiley, who looked dressed up for prom with matching gold and silver sequenced outfits and linked at the arms just like they were back in 7th grade.

The Grove was packed by 9:30, and the crowd erupted into uproarious applause when Rilo Kiley, the second to last act, kicked off their set with 2004's more adventurous "It's a Hit." The L.A. native band, whose lead singer Jenny Lewis and lead guitar Blake Sennett were former child actors, are darlings in the indie rock scene. Lewis often collaborates with other indie standouts, as seen in her side solo project with The Watson Twins and The Postal Service.

After a three year hiatus, and solo projects put out by each member, Rilo Kiley have made their most ambitious album yet, "Under the Blacklight," on the major label Warner Bros. Although the numerous side projects would seem to be a strain on band relations, their onstage presence indicates nothing of the sort. Even though Sennett and Lewis used to be an item, they have managed to put it behind them in a Fleetwood Mac way and continue as a solid band. Still, their chemistry together onstage was more than obvious.

The first track played off "Under the Blacklight" was "Close Call," which comprehensively demonstrated the soft beauty that is Lewis's voice. It was followed by the cowbell-clanking "Breakin' Up," Sennett's lead vocals on "Dreamworld" and of course the sultry first single "The Moneymaker," which is the highlight of an album made to chronicle the smut business that takes place in the valley (hence the album name).

Even with the abundance of the new songs played, the largest applause came when they played "Portions for Foxes," and Sennett ran around the stage for a private jam session with every member of the band. When the intro to "Paints Peeling" was heard, the crowd launched into a full on karaoke sing along with Lewis.

The crowd, clearly mesmerized by the band, only had their dreams fulfilled when the '90s synth intro to the title track "Under the Blacklight" turned into the airy "Silver Lining" and they were showered with giant balloons filled with silver confetti.

[Beachwood Mac]

Just getting a chance to catch up on this thread. I had actually downloaded the show Livia posted the above review on at the Grove in Anaheim. For those interested...here's the show.

Disc 1:

01: Intro
02: It's A Hit
03: Close Call
04: Portions For Foxes
05: Paint's Peeling
06: Breakin' Up
07: Dreamworld
08: The Moneymaker
09: Wires And Waves
10: Ripchord
11: With Arms Outstretched

http://www.mediafire.com/?ceod2jivzjt

Disc 2:

01: Under The Blacklight (intro loop only)
02: Silver Lining
03: I Never
04: Give A Little Love
05: 15
06: Rise Up With Fists
07: Spectacular Views
08: Encore break/intro
09: A Man/Me/Then Jim

http://www.mediafire.com/?bmswkmrsvba

Enjoy!

[shackin'up]

"Dreamworld," which I just heard, is obviously an attempt to emulate the "Dreams" chord progression & ambience. But other than that, it doesn't have any more Fleetwood Mac style than that French & Saunders parody -- "Dream Woman"? -- did.

Which means that it has a LOT of Mac Style? That parody was so spot on stereotypical Maccish, that it was painful-besides hilarious ofcourse.

But I agree with the overall comment. RK isn't Mac at all in my book either. It lacks too much quality for it.

[Livia]

4. Rilo Kiley - Under the Black Light
Few things hit the spot like this album. The wide variety of styles makes is a great listen, starting with the light and lofty rhythm of "Silver Lining." The godess that is Jenny Lewis quickly transforms her voice from angelic to devilish and sultry, a feat which few could rival. This is especially evident in "Moneymaker." Kiley's influences are evident throughout. "Close Call" and "Dreamworld" have similarities to some of the heavily Stevie Nicks-influenced Fleetwood Mac days. "Breakin' Up" is reminiscent of Blondie. Then there is "Smoke Detector," a nod to the old beach bum movies of Frankie Avalon.

http://media.www.thechanticleeronline.com/media/storage/paper670/news/2007/11/29/ArtsEntertainment/The-20.Best.Albums.Of.2007.51-3120415.shtml