Those who have not heard Rilo Kiley's music prior to Under the Blacklight will be the best audience for their latest album. This being said, Rilo Kiley has been one of my favorite bands for the past two years; I fell in love with Jenny Lewis' soulful crooning as I explored campus my freshman year and, in some ways, I consider A Better Son/ Daughter"" (from Rilo Kiley's The Execution of All Things) to be my personal anthem, as corny as that sounds. However, I also believe that it would have been in the band's best interest if the newest addition to their discography had never been released to the public.
Although new listeners might be able to enjoy Under the Blacklight because of an increased level of ""fun"" in comparison to other albums, many older fans will mark this record as nothing but a sell-out. I, for one, do not criticize a band's need to change direction and I do not even consider this record a sellout. Being able to create a mechanical, mundane sound is a band's prerogative, and the fact that the music sounds more common and less creative does not mean that a band is solely striving to make more money. I still adore Jenny Lewis, and I think she is simply doing what she always does: whatever she wants.
This album marks the band's first collaborative effort since their solo ventures. It is also the first record that is written almost entirely by Lewis.
On previous records, Lewis has shared creative power with fellow Rilo Kiley member and ex-beau, Blake Sennett. On this record, Sennett only contributes to two songs.
In addition, although the band originated with Sennett and Lewis sharing the title of lead vocals, Lewis has easily become the front woman, and this is most apparent on their latest album. Under the Blacklight feels like Lewis is using the other band members to enable her to make music she was unable to perform while on her solo stint; she is clearly in charge here.
While Lewis is a talented musician and ""cute as a button,"" as a leader, she falls short. The majority of the tracks on Under the Blacklight sound nothing like the music on Rilo Kiley's earlier albums, and instead of becoming more intriguing, the songs become more generic and ready to appear on television and movie soundtracks.
It is my hope that this record was only a wrong turn and that if Rilo Kiley comes out with another album, it will sound more similar to their earlier music. I won't lose faith in them yet, and after all, if the only factor for progress is based on change, then Under the Blacklight definitely shows that they have made progress: One step forward and several giant steps backward.
