Even More Adventurous. 

Rilo Kiley’s major label debut album “Under the Blacklight” is also a major tour de force for their lead singer Jenny Lewis. The band has released three albums before this and Lewis, a former child actress, made her solo debut album last year. None of those releases prepare you for what this album offers; non-stop hook laden melodies, retro eighties-style instrumentation, sweet, girl-next-door vocals from Lewis as she sings about the seamy underside of life in the Los Angeles club scene.  

The dichotomy of Lewis’ innocent voice telling tales of sex for money, threesomes, one night stands and underage girls losing their virginity has been Rilo Kiley’s style since they began in the late nineties but Lewis has clearly taken the lead role in making this album much more consistent than previous recordings and her voice and the band backing her have never sounded better. From the blue eyed soul of “Silver Lining”, through the new wave funk of “The Moneymaker” to the synthesizer psychedelia of the title cut, the album is filled with relentlessly catchy choruses blown up even bigger by glossy vocal harmonies. While some of the lyrics may be forgettable or uncomfortably awkward, the vocals compensate for those flaws and the melodies will bring you back for repeated listens. 

Cries of sell-out will always echo in the wake of an indie rock band producing an album with this much commercial potential. But just as she is able to rise above this tawdry material with her vocal charisma, Lewis, like many before her (think Blondie) will undoubtedly rely on her feminine charm, not to mention her great songs, to get away with it.           

Listen for songs from Rilo Kiley’s album “Under the Blacklight” all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show “Out of the Box.” Monday through Thursday from 7 pm to 9pm, Saturday afternoon from 1 pm to 5 pm and on demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.