Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight
(Warner)
After two years off for Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett to pursue their solo projects, Rilo Kiley returns with this catchy-ass disappointment. Sex is a key theme, but lines like “I was smokin’ him in bed” do not provide enough edge to hide the irony-dipped Casio lines and easy-listening arrangements. Opener “Silver Lining” and “Til the Angels Hung Around” sound like b-sides from Lewis’s Rabbit Fur Coat, a good thing; what’s bad is lead single “The Moneymaker,” with its porno guitar riff and crap lyrics. Forget depth—this isn’t even in the same pool as More Adventurous. Fun but frivolous, it wouldn’t sound out of place on KOOL-FM. Not a compliment.
Tara Thorne
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
