Rilo Kiley
Under The Blacklight

THE REVIEW

August 2007. I am at Copenhagen Airport, waiting for the afternoon flight to Amsterdam, and as I wander through the numerous duty-free shops, I see, in the "foreign press" section, the latest issue of the British monthly "Uncut." Despite being quite skeptical about British music criticism, seeing the name Rilo Kiley on the cover, a band I loved back in their early days, I decide to buy the magazine. Inside, there is an extensive review titled: "The Californian indie quartet embraces mainstream pop". "Yikes," I think. Yet the rating for the new album, their first for Warner Bros., is five full stars. My hope is that Jenny Lewis & Co. have somehow returned to their former glory, but when I see the comparison with Fleetwood Mac, I start to shiver.

"Alright, 'Uncut' is run by an old boozy and gray-haired hippie who puts Neil Young on the cover almost every month, can't be trusted, better check it out myself," I reflect. Given my distaste for major labels, to which I don't give a cent by choice, I turn to Megaupload and soon the album in question is among the files on my computer. My opinion? Well, honestly, I don't find anything special about this CD, it seems just like an attempt to enter the Pop-Star-Olympus and neighboring territories.

"Breakin' Up" sounds like a disco music leftover from the seventies, "Under The Blacklight" opens with a loop that then transforms into a grand ballad reminiscent of Alanis Morrissette, "Dejalo" is even Latin-flavored, and "Close Call" seems like a probable chart-topping hit. Only "Smoke Detector", with its swirling guitar intertwines, saves something. Far be it from me to criticize an indie band just because they sign with a major, see Sonic Youth and Hüsker Dü who maintained very high levels in the past, or just think about the excellent recent works of Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie, but this CD, produced by Mike Elizondo (50 Cent?! Dr. Dre?!) is nothing more than a slapdash attempt to join the MTV world covered in green dollar bills. And it's a real shame, guys. Try to get back on track, I still have some hope.