Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight
(Warner)
A Los Angeles-based band headed by two former child actors (singer Jenny Lewis of Troop Beverly Hills fame and guitarist Blake 'Boy Meets World' Sennet), Kilo Riley are a whirling confection of disparate influences combining the slick veneer of 1980s power pop with the folksy coffee shop oddities of Phoebe Buffet.
Unsurprisingly, the music is difficult to pin down. Their fourth album, Blacklight is the follow- up to 2004's More Adventurous which proved to be the band's breakthrough, landing them a spot on tour with the likes of Coldplay and Conor Oberst in 2005 and countless appearances on late- night talk shows.
Lewis has a gorgeous voice that can cut crystal but her lyrics subvert the pretty first impressions. The stand-out title track bathes in melodies that owe something to the New Pornographers, yet the sentiment is gritty. 'Will you get sober? Will you get kinder?' she intones, suggesting what exactly life under the blacklight entails.
