Under the Blacklight
by Rilo Kiley

Album details

US: 21 August 2007 on Warner Bros.
UK: 20 August 2007 on Warner Bros.

The increasingly popular Los Angeles band led by Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett (who have each released solo albums recently) return with their first album since 2004’s "More Adventurous." Jason Leder and Mike Elizondo co-produced along with the band.

BUY THE CD: DOWNLOAD IT:

The critical consensus

Rilo Kiley continues to be able to do no wrong in the minds of many music critics. Blender calls Blacklight "incessantly catchy and well-made," while Amazon labels it "their definitive record," and Uncut, in another glowing review, heralds it as "far and away the most accessible album that Rilo Kiley have ever made," while The Onion lauds the band for creating "one of this year’s most compelling albums." The Independent doesn’t hear any surprises; only "a bumper helping of the kind of winning country-pop hooks and eye for revealing detail that made songs like ‘I Never’ so rewarding." Robert Christgau, writing in Rolling Stone, says that Blacklight is even "more adventurous" than, well, More Adventurous, calling the new album "a prosperous band’s challenge to its comfortable cult." Treble agrees with that conclusion, but also adds in some Fleetwood Mac comparisons, while Billboard warns that "the change in direction will likely raise a few eyebrows among some diehard fans," adding that the new songs are still "noteworthy." Prefix comments, "It’s an album of songs that will get under your skin in the best possible way, to the point where, hours after hearing it, it will be impossible not to hum the best hooks to yourself."

The New York Times’ Kelefa Sanneh finds moments "heavy-handed" or downright "awful," and agrees that the disco-heavy sound might "flummox" longtime fans, but as a whole finds the album to be "a pleasant surprise disguised as an unpleasant one." Under The Radar hedges its bet with two reviews. Jim Scott notes that Blacklight "feels like a dance party in a sweaty basement club," while Aaron Passman laments that it’s the "most disappointing album of the year (so far)." Entertainment Weekly is a bit disappointed, concluding that "for the most part, Blacklight is far too flat to shine." On the contrary, Pitchfork states that the album is "polished to an almost blinding sheen," almost completely lacking depth and serving as "an audacious, fascinating exploration of banality, almost to a patronizing point."

Several other publications, such as the Hartford Courant and No Ripcord, fault the album for being over-produced, with the former calling the execution of the album "a disaster." NME, ever the contrarian, finds Blacklight stuck in a "dull AOR mire," while Now Magazine calls the album "schizoid and lacklustre" and plagued by "shoddy songcraft." Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot feels that the songs "ring emotionally hollow," while Metromix labels it "a massive disappointment" and Glide deems it "unoriginal and contrived." And Exclaim! says that Lewis’ fine voice "barely enlivens the melodies of Under the Blacklight, which would otherwise be unexceptional and bland."

The emotions aren’t as detailed as in the past, but they’re no less intense.

- Robert Christgau, Rolling Stone

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Silver Lining
   
   
2. Close Call
3. The Moneymaker
   
   
4. Breakin’ Up
5. Under the Blacklight
6. Dreamworld
7. Dejalo
8. 15
9. Smoke Detector
10. The Angels Hung Around
11. Give a Little Love

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• Rilo Kiley @ MySpace