Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Rilo Kiley does 1973?

Under the Blacklight looked like a possible bright spot in a really boring music summer (I kinda grooved the new DadRock version of Wilco, and the new Rufus sounded very promising and tightly written, even if I can never make myself care enough to listen to more than three tracks. It's like, dude, I get it. You're really really gay.).

The reviews I can find online fall into two categories: a) Rilo Kiley without crunch guitar sucks, and b) hahaha omg watch the indie kidz squirm lol stfu!!1!

I can understand how pop critics would mess their pants anytime an indie band sells out whatever sound put them on the map. If you like pop music, this album is probably a really great pop album. But if you've bought a Rilo Kiley album before, it's probably because pop music bores you to tears. Call us pretentious, and we'll call you just plain bland.

I'd say there's a 35% chance this album will grow on me. But on first listen, this thing is 90% Sucks Ass. Even tracks I want to like figure out a way to push me away.

Jenny Lewis is Bob Dylan with good fashion sense. And even Bob Dylan shat out some incredibly terrible albums in the spirit of "experimentation." Rilo Kiley will probably sell more albums than ever before, but that's only because you can't take back an opened CD.

Update: EW's review is fair, if a bit forgiving. I just have to deal with the fact that this might be a good album, but a terrible Rilo Kiley album.

1 comment:

Jon said...

Just chiming in on the boring summer for music bit. I agree, but here's what got me through if anyone wants recommendations: Son Volt's The Search, The White Stripes' Icky Thump, Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Loretta's Van Lear Rose (I know the last two are not from this summer, or even this year, but I just got them this summer), and, charging in late, the New Pornographers' Challengers. I've only been able to listen through a couple times, but it's growing on me really fast.