Rilo Kiley's Latest

If you have not yet heard Jenny Lewis sing - either by way of "Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins," "Postal Service," or as part of "Rilo Kiley" - you are missing one of the rare and beautiful musical gems of our time.

A handful of "old" Rilo songs you should listen to before proceeding: 1) It's A Hit 2) Portions for Foxes 3) I Never 4) A Man/Me/Then Jim 5) More Adventurous 6) The Absense of God.

Rilo Kiley's latest album is called Under The Blacklight. I've been working through each song in turn - trying to pick my favorites. Here are my top five songs from this album (today anyway...):

1. Silver Lining.
This one I loved almost from the first time I heard it. It shows off Jenny Lewis' a-mazing vocal talents and the fun pop-feel of Rilo Kiley.

2. Close Call.
Like many of Rilo Kiley's songs this one is haunting. I'm still trying to figure out what she's singing about but wow...it sounds sad...in a spectacularly beautiful way.

3. Breakin' Up
The lyrics and music to this song are so witty. It's just sonic fun.

4. Dejalo
Ok, normally, songs like this drive me up the wall, but this one is fun and makes me wanna dance...disco that is...

5. Under The Blacklight.
I could listen to Jenny Lewis sing forever. Her voice is smooth and even and it seems as though singing must come to her more naturally than speaking...even in really challenging vocal lines she shines. This song is on my top list because of the vocal line as well as the music. Just soothing and pleasant. It makes me want to sit in a hammock on a summer evening and sip a cool mojito.

Phew. Thanks to Ivan for giving me the freedom to talk about music to the blog world :-)

So.

I'm opening the gates. I'm inviting some well respected, by me, music authors to help spice up these posts a bit. Me and the new "team" will ramble incessantly about music on this site as I once had done. About time... sheesh!

iMix May06

iMix May06:
1. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
2. To Me You Are a Work of Art - Morrissey
3. String Sextet No. 1 in B flat, Op. 18 - Allegro ma non troppo - Johannes Brahms
4. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
5. Goodnight and Go - Imogen Heap
6. Rolling Black Water - Elf Power
7. Out Of Control - She Wants Revenge
8. The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage - Panic! At The Disco

So. Here we are again. Buckle up.

Snow Patrol once again offers us a gem to crush our souls. Don't weep.. at least not at first. Just enjoy another grand sonicscape by these wee Scots. Staying on that side of the Pond, we enjoy an almost plodding Morrissey song off the new record. It keeps me rapt with a wonderful vocal hook decrying ... 'and i would give you my heart.. that's if i had one'. Ohhhh Morrissey. Next we jump back a few years.... Mr. Brahms delights us with a sextet that overwhelmed me the first time I heard it more than a decade or two ago. This first movement starts calmly, like a leaf bobbing in a slightly rolling pond before it gets into the drama that will hold you for the next 14 minutes. A fine thank you to Mr. Brahms.

Ok. So I generally don't like hip-hop or rap. But every once in awhile, if you've got enough soul in the track I am sold wholeheartedly. This is the case for the Gnarls Barkley effort. I feel like I should be coasting down some cruising street with my gilded teeth and hubcaps insisting that I be called homie. It's a good feeling. You too will understand.

The Elf Power track sounds like it could have been lifted off a new REM album; Michael Stipe wailing and all. I would have never pegged it for an Elephant Six band. That being said, it's a beautifully haunting song and fits snugly in the whole of that album. Go elves! Next we have Imogen Heap, or as you may know her, Frou Frou singer. The song in the same electronic catchy vein as Frou frou is candy for the ear with all it's electronic ornamentation.

Dust off your creepers for the She Wants Revenge track. HOLY Crap! Goth's all over the world will be weeping mascara stains down their alabaster cheeks with the reincarnation of a band that can take up the goth torch once again.. or at least hold it with interpol. I almost feel bad for not wearing all black.

And finally, the Panic at the Disco track. I so don't want to like these guys. I'm sure they're young kids steeped in that neo fake punk sound that always sounds the same, listless vocal and all. There's a slight twist here though that I can't put my finger on yet. But while I'm doing that check out the frenetic little ditty.

Let the Playlists begin!

iMix January 06:

1. Sucker Punch - The Pale Pacific
2. Always Love - Nada Surf
3. Flip! - Apollo Sunshine
4. Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
5. Behind The Wall Of Sleep - The Smithereens
6. Let Me Kiss You - Morrissey
7. Oh Mandy - The Spinto Band
8. Xanadu - Olivia Newton-john
9. Publish My Love - Rogue Wave
10. This Charming Man - Stars

Welcome to the new Year! I had fun making this mix as it represents some last minute finds of 2005 that I chanced upon while perusing other person's top 30 lists. Some gems here. Notably, the Pale Pacific. These Seattlelites have it figured out with the mellow indie pop. Just great stuff. Nada Surf also had a very strong album, though I had my reservations about them since I'd heard nothing from them since their one "hit" back in the mid 90's. Their song is gorgeous though.

Next, My good buddy Cathy showed me the way of Apollo Sunshine and all I can say is, I'm down. Everyone should buy this album. And now I will have to admit to a terrible secret shame or 2 on this list. The first is the extremely radio friendly and dangerously catchy rock tune by Fall Out Boy. I'm so not into the kiddies' neo punk sound, but I'm way into their "sugar, We're going down". The tune is so meaty that I can forgive the usual vocal stylings that characterize that genre. Continuing with the heavy guitar rock sound theme, I also hearkened back to an old 90's fave, "The Smithereens". Good things can come from Jersey, especially couched in the rock and roll motorcycle bar band style that "Behind the wall of sleep" exemplifies. Three other indie stars round out the list including the Spinto Band,(named after one of the member's grandfather), Rogue Wave (SF indie darling) and Stars. The Star's cover is an interesting and teched out version of the Smith's "This Charming Man". As a devotee of the Smiths I was "shocked into shame to discover" that not only am I amenable to the cover, but am really loving the technobeat twist to it. Speaking of the Smiths, my good friend Kristin, reintroduced me to the latest Morrissey release that I had cooed over a year ago. The "Let me kiss you" track displays how age has actually warmed Morrissey's smooth baritone to what is tantamount to the best of cognac's. It is deliciously fine and even shows growth in the constantly creative use of voice as a full blown instrument. Oh Morrissey.. so much to answer for...

Finally, don't hate me for my love of Olivia Newton John. What could be better than rollerskates and terry cloth headbands?

getting to the end of the playlist year!!

iMix 11/28/05:
1. Mornings Eleven - The Magic Numbers
2. Empty - Metric
3. Leaders of the Free World - Elbow
4. Sugarless - Autolux
5. A Pain That I'm Used To - Depeche Mode
6. Suffer Well - Depeche Mode
7. Please Please Please - Shout Out Louds
8. String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor D. 810 'Death and the Maiden' - Andante con motto - Schubert

So this batch of goods is nothing too unfamiliar I don't think. The Magic numbers are an interesting brother/sister fronted band relishing in the boppy happy pop that I love so well. I would almost call it chirpy. Metric chime in with their own version of a picky guitar hook/bombastic guitar chorus pairing that I also am a sucker for. Did I mention that I love their girl singer? Elbow provide us with a grand album. In an effort to pick the best song I could only grab my fave of the past month. It's a crunchy fuzzed out bass song about our sorry excuses for World Leaders. I say cheers to Elbow!

The Depeche entries off the new album are wonderous synth pop gems. Martin gives us his rendition of a car wreck set to the full baritone on Dave Gahan that we've all loved from the get go. Dave Gahan actually gets a couple of songwriting credits, which is a shock, but i'll have to give his offering a big thumbs up. Somehow he managed to get them in the proper "depeche mode" sound that sits perfectly on this record. My fave part is still the Martin Gore backing vocal that adds that night time vibe that makes me want to go for a drive.... or as Dane Cook so aptly put it, it makes me want to go out and "express myself through the art of dance"... ;)

Lastly, I thought a little Schubert would round this whole thing out nicely. I of course picked my favorite movement from my favorite quartet "Death and the Maiden". It took me a while to find the right version.. that delicate balance between tempo and proper phrasing that is the completely subjective "right" that I need... but I found it. Enjoy the treats!

Oranger Waterloo:
1. Crooked in the Weird of the Catacombs - Oranger
2. New Comes and Goes - Oranger
3. Target You By Feel - Oranger
4. Radio Wave - Oranger
5. Going Under - Oranger
6. Static on the High Desert - Oranger
7. Eggtooth - Oranger
8. Wolfy - Oranger
9. Mike Love, Not War - Oranger
10. Bizarro - Oranger
11. Circle Gets the Square - Oranger
12. Bleeding Kneecaps - Oranger
13. Sukiyuki - Oranger
14. Dream All Day - The Posies

You're so pretty in the city of industry...

So this past Friday a good friend's band came through town, (Oranger), and I was treated to a small glimpse of what I know as the rock and roll lifestyle of a small touring band. It lacked all the glamour that one might expect, but was full of insights and sparked all of my own romanticized desires to be a rock star on tour. There was nothing dramatic about it. They are hardly known in this town and thus had a staggering racous crowd of 34 people who were probably there to see the headliners (Posies). Nonetheless, they RAWKED in the best sense of the word. A close friend and I recently discussed how we both seem to be less involved and absorbed by bands that we see in concert and we blamed that on age. We talked about how we no longer excitedly sang along to every lyric as a band played on stage, nor how we were remotely carried away by the adrenaline and excitement of being a full blown "fan". The Oranger show simply reminded me that it's one involvement and attachment to a band that dictates how the experience will play out. I love this band. They are close friends that I've known forever and whose songs are part of my fabric like say a nephew or neice. I am tied to the experience of the songs, and despite not having heard or seen these guys in years at this point, I was bowled over and carried away by the whole process and show. I'm sure I looked like the teenage girl in front howling some of the lyrics at the top of my lungs and not noticing how loud I was because of the ear plugs I was wearing. It was simply grand. As for the rock and roll lifestyle. Driving around the country in a van with 4 other stinky guys must present it's challenges. They were certainly travel worn, but seemed to be buoyed by playing and the experience of having to meet the crowd afterwards to sign autographs or talk to new fans. A favorite moment was eating steaks before the show at a sports bar called Lumpy's and understanding the importance of occasionally having a good meal of protein given all the crap they will ingest for the bulk of the tour, or the bar waitresses who seemed giddy at the prospect of coming over to the show after their shifts to hang out with "the band". It's funny how things like that actually seem to happen. Anyhow. I'm going to attach a few Oranger songs in the playlist to peruse plus a Posies song that I loved from back in the day. Cheers!

iMix 9/27/05:
1. Halloween (Pre-Release Version) - Matt Pond Pa
2. Everyone Is Totally Insane - The Dandy Warhols
3. Combat Baby - Metric
4. My Name Is Love - Rob Dickinson
5. June Gloom - The Like
6. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
7. Bridge To Nowhere - The Like
8. Weary Arms - Crooked Fingers

Back to business. I'm still perusing the new Matt Pond release, but the single on my list is unbelievably catchy. The Dandy's are of course back on task with their new release Odditorium. My initial listens have me embracing "everyone is totally insane" and not simply because I believe the sentiment. I'm also getting into a couple of girl vocally led groups, The Like and The Metric. The Like appear to have some major label support and thus have a pretty polished release right now. I'll have to say I do enjoy her Bjorkesque vocals....Not as acrobatic but rhaspy and deliciously seductive. I love a voice like that. The Metric are quasi indie quasi pop. This is an older release as their latest isn't on Rhapsody yet. The Rob Dickinson (aka former Catherine Wheel frontman) release is not bad. I like the track, albeit studio slick, but still have to get my mind around the whole album. Lastly, Crooked Fingers make another appearance simply because they rule and i'm at peace with the the idea of "throwing my weary arms around the one" I love.

iMIx 9/8:
1. Call To Love - Crooked Fingers
2. Prepare For The Fight - The Lovemakers
3. Daughters Of the Soho Riots - The National
4. Sing Me Spanish Techno - New Pornographers
5. Sleep All Summer - Crooked Fingers
6. Crooked Teeth - Death Cab For Cutie
7. Resolve - Foo Fighters

So finally got another one of these out. I cannot recommend the Crooked Fingers or Death Cab album enough. Both are stellar in their own ways. The Death cab is consistent throughout and shows it's obvious ties to Postal Service. It's a great album. And though I haven't heard the whole new Lovemakers release, the single has got me humming along.

80's Ken:
1. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
2. In Between Days - The Cure
3. The Promise - When In Rome
4. Wonderul Life - Black
5. Oblivious - Aztec Camera
6. Love Vigilantes - New Order
7. Revenge - Ministry
8. So In Love - Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark (OMD)
9. Tenderness - General Public
10. Cars - Gary Numan
11. Lay Your Hands On Me - The Thompson Twins

Ok Kids, I somehow found myself indebted to a good friend for providing some unbelievable soccer tix to a recent Real Salt Lake game. In payment of this debt, I have endeavored to create a rock solid 80's mix for his listening pleasure, but I also figured we all should be subject to my trip down memory lane. Hope you like it too!

Ok, So Dignity and Shame. It's been far too long since i've listened to anything by the drunken sailor musings of Crooked Fingers. Man I love their stuff... or should I say Eric Bachman's stuff. Just dark, broody and catchy with the occasional subtle undercurrent of some beautiful musical phrase that reminds me why i'm writing about this stuff in the first place. Can't beat that. Something off this album will surely be on the next iMix.

iMix July 27:
"1. Claire de lane - Claude Debussy
2. Only This Moment - Royksopp
3. I Never - Rilo Kiley
4. Space Oddity - David Bowie
5. Cash Machine (Album Version) - Hard-fi
6. Hot Ride (Radio Edit) - The Prodigy
7. The Long Goodbye - A Girl Called Eddy
8. Sand and Romance - King Elementary
9. To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens"

ahhh. FINALLY. Another list to peruse. Some of these tracks are all over the place and have only gotten casual listens from me, but I did enjoy them so check em out!! Missing from this list is the grand new offering from both Elbow and the Dandy's. Initial listens of both are strong strong offerings and better than each of their previous releases I thought. I reserve the right to change my mind, duh. Also, I'd like to squash any notions that the last track on this list was something I found on the OC. Though I like the secret shame quality of that show, I haven't seen it. However, Sufjan's release is a total Elliot Smith mood track that makes me want more. amen

ps. I can't express how much I love that rilo kiley song. It's one of those brilliant sing until your blue in the face songs that manage to cross my path every 2 months or so.

Ok,

I've been a bit remiss, but am working on the next IMix (thanks for the suggestion A). I've also noticed that many of the new things i'm digging on aren't available via Rhaps so I may have to start throwing in a few recommendations that I've heard that I won't be able to share via the online Rhapsody experience. Specifically, the new Lucksmiths album is a wonderful mellow gem. The track "the chapter in your life entitled San Francisco" reminds me of my good ole days in SF, despite not knowing any of the lyrics. Fine enough.

Weekly 6/24:
"1. Rodeo Town - The Kills
2. Here It Comes - Longwave
3. Love Like A Bomb - Oasis
4. Underneath You Know The Names - Longwave
5. Daylight - Better Than Ezra
6. Juxtapozed With U - Super Furry Animals
7. Subject Drop - Pernice Brothers
8. A Track And A Train - Shout Out Louds"

This week's stuff includes an oldie oldie from the SFA boys. I just love that song and figured it should find a home here at some point.
Other notable mentions:

I've also been checking out some fun neo 60's multi-vocal harmonizing goodness by a band called the Brunettes that I saw open for the Shins. Way cool.
Also getting into a mellow indiepop band called the Magic Numbers. Definitely worth checking out. I haven't reviewed them enough to pin down their sound... at least verbally.

Weekly Sampler 6/16:
1. An Honest Mistake - The Bravery
2. Dakota - Stereophonics
3. The Comeback - Shout Out Louds
4. Razor - Foo Fighters
5. A Lifetime - Better Than Ezra

Weekly Sampler 6/10:
1. My Love - Paco
2. Spit It Out - Brendan Benson
3. Finding Out True Love Is Blind - Louis XIV
4. The Chauffeur - Duran Duran
5. Primitive (The Way I Treat You) - Ambulance Ltd.
6. Speed Of Sound - Coldplay
7. Emerge - Fischerspooner
8. Shoot Your Gun - 22-20s
9. Eple - Royksopp
10. Banquet - Bloc Party"

Note the total sauciness of the Louix XIV song as the current indie answer to a hopped up libido! Gotta love rock and roll.