Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous

Rilo Kiley
More Adventurous
Brute/Beaute Records
Grade: A

This latest record from this uber-hip Los Angeles trio has skyrocketed to attack and steal our attention even several months after its initial release. But we can’t and will not deny that this is one of the best records of the year. So if you are under a cloud about Rilo Kiley then let this be your warning shot.

More Adventurous is the band’s third release and first on their own Brute/Beaute Records (with major label distribution). After an initial EP on Barsuk Records, Rilo Kiley became one of the few bands not from Omaha to land on Saddle Creek Records (home to Bright Eyes, the Faint, Cursive, etc.). Their fit with that lineup of artists was brilliant. Their previous record on Saddle Creek, The Execution of All Things, garnered such amazing praise and standing has allowed them to work on their own terms.

So, who comprises this indie rock juggernaut? Heading up a majority of the vocals is the brilliant Jenny Lewis – who also adds piano and guitar to the mix. The other front member is guitarist and part time vocalist Blake Sennett. The interesting random tidbit on this dazzling duo is that they were both child actors in Hollywood. Lewis appeared in Troop Beverly Hills as well as The Wizard, while Sennett lent his talents as a cast member on Nickelodeon’s Salute Your Shorts. Though they have long cast off their acting careers, you must imagine it influences their show business panache nowadays. Joining Lewis and Sennett are drummer Jason Boesel and bassist Pierre de Reeder. Like most either former or present Saddle Creek artists, the members of Rilo Kiley have branched out to other endeavors. Lewis offered up vocals to the powerhouse Postal Service’s debut record and toured with them. Lewis is also expected to release a solo album during the next year. Sennett rocked his own gorgeous side project during the past year as the Elected (Sub Pop) which flows like jangly singer-songwriter bliss. However, it is not as if Sennett was locked in his own box for the Elected. The Elected’s core band includes Boesel, Mike Bloom and Daniel Brummel, and includes guest spots from Lewis, Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) and Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service). Rounding out these adventures, Boesel has lent his beats to Bright Eyes’ recordings.

For More Adventurous, Rilo Kiley enlisted an array of sizzling producers including Saddle Creek master Mike Mogis, Tamborello, Dave Sher (of Beachwood Sparks/All-Nite Radio) and Mark Trombino (producer of Jimmy Eat World, Drive Like Jehu, Blink 182). To bolster the depth of songs, Rilo Kiley had Bright Eyes’ Nate Walcott add strings, while the band itself broaden the studio instruments and production. And the implications are enormous. Amongst the eleven tracks, there is a breadth of radio singles and future hits.

The record begins on “It’s A Hit” with Lewis’ vocals crooning over the deployment of troops as the song sweeps into a magical catchy chorus. Probably by design, “It’s A Hit” is Rilo Kiley’s first ‘single’ and is their first video off the album. All in all, it is a glorious way to begin their best record. “Does He Love You?” mellows out the tempo with simple picking and light background music with Lewis taking a more singer-songwriter tack to the vocals. This is followed by the best track on the record, “Portions for Foxes.” When I saw Rilo Kiley live before attaining this record, “Portions for Foxes” stuck in my head like white on rice. The reason? The incredibly catchy chorus of “and it’s bad news/baby I’m bad news/It’s just bad news.” But also lyrics like “the talking leads to touching, then the touching leads to sex and then there is no mystery left.” Couple this majesty with small additions like a swirling guitar towards the end and the ending lines of “you’re bad news/I don’t care I like you/I like you,” and you end up with one of the best songs of the year. As the most power pop bliss moment of the entire record, you might as well leave “Portions for Foxes” on repeat. The oddly low-fi “Ripchord” follows with Sennett taking the lead on vocals for the first and only time. Lewis channels Janis Joplin on “I Never” with soul-inducing vocals on top of a classic simple blues composition. The best part of the song is when Lewis holds the word “I” before going to the rest of the line. Live, this is brilliant and really gets the crowd. “The Absence of God” is an acoustic guitar assault and presents an introspective story. When the instruments and supporting vocals join in the chorus, it is light-FM perfect. “Accidntel Deth” relies on a wealth of electronics as drums and guitar accompany. The title track has the most western feel as Mike Mogis adds pedal steel and glockenspiel and Lewis provides a little harmonica action. As far as title tracks go, this is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. As a nice piece of album sequencing, “Love and War (11/11/46)” provides the most aggressive guitar riffs and striking song construction. The post-line riffs by Sennett, Lewis and Mogis are simply splendid. “A Man/Me/Then Jim” begins innocently and non-sexy with up-picking acoustic guitar and this sort of Hawaiian-feel. Yet by the time you get to the first line, there are congas, horns and pedal steel guitar and you enter another level. “A Man/Me/Then Jim” probably has the most complex minimally low construction of instruments on the record. The opening line of the chorus, “She said, the slow fade of love…,” coupled with gorgeous harmonies, tie you in and force you to listen with intensity. Truly hearing “A Man/Me/Then Jim” is similar to really ‘hearing’ an Iron and Wine song. More Adventurous ends on “It Just Is” like a hip metropolitan story with compelling guitar riffs, piano and a prosperity of strings. You really couldn’t ask for a better ending to the record.

As the above words have described and illustrated, this is clearly one of the best records of year if not this century. Even with little previous exposure to Rilo Kiley, I was stunned by their live show and I implore anyone with the means to check them out and become enraptured. Though the members of Rilo Kiley will be working on separate projects and other endeavors over the course of the new year, look for their stock to be soaring. With enough press and exposure – like their spread in Rolling Stone – look for Rilo Kiley to become your next favorite band – if they aren’t already.