"...but now, I'm gold"

This week I've discovered Rilo Kiley.

I was told on the Bonnaroo message board, Inforoo, that if I liked child stars, I'd like Rilo Kiley. Not that I'm a huge fan of child stars, but the comment caught my attention and I decided to give the band a closer look.

And I found this:

The indie rock band Rilo Kiley is fronted by former child actors Jenny Lewis ("Troop Beverly Hills" and "The Wizard") and Blake Sennett ("Salute Your Shorts" and "Boy Meets World").

The band has been active since 1998 and has worked under several labels, including Warner Brothers Records, which put out their 2007 album "Under the Blacklight." Speaking of "Under the Blacklight," I bought the album last week and have been listening to it nonstop since. My favorite track is also the album's second single, "Silver Lining" (as you saw in the video above if you watched it). I think it's sound is unique and a little different from the other tracks on the album.

Their songs have appeared in numerous movies, including "Must Love Dogs" and "John Tucker Must Die," as well as TV shows ("Dawson's Creek," "The OC," "Grey's Anatomy," "Weeds" and "Nip/Tuck"), so you may have already heard them. (As an avid viewer of "Grey's," I KNEW I had heard this band before...)

According to Metacritic.com, "Under the Blacklight" got generally good reviews, scoring a 71 out of 100, though it seems users and critics didn't enjoy the album as much as I do... using it as travel music to make the time driving from meeting to meeting at my day job seem a little more pleasant). Pitchforkmedia.com wasn't as kind, only giving the album a 5.1 of 10. The biggest criticism was that the band had seemingly sold out with this pop-friendly compilation. Jenny Lewis did get some props, however, for her singing and lyrics.

If you're not into "easy to digest" music that's "pop-friendly," and you're looking for something deeper, you may be interested to know there's more to Rilo Kiley than what I've shown you. Their 2002 creation "The Execution of All Things" was the other album I decided to check out, by way of my boyfriend's computer (which holds roughly 45,000 songs-plus). It got a 7.5 out of 10 from Pitchforkmedia.com, "with (its) intriguing lyrics, country/folk shimmer, and explosive pop moments."

The online music site finished it's review like this: "You could call The Execution of All Things a feel-good album, but there's enough going on that it rarely sounds like froth. Aside from a couple of twee missteps-- like the hyper-bouncy keyboards on "My Slumbering Heart"-- the band almost always hits the right tone: they do Americana without the alt-country cliches and cowpoke pacing, and the undercurrent of environmental concern is rich rather than blunt."

My favorite track on that album so far is "The Good That Won't Come Out." I know it's also the first track (like "Silver Lining"), but since I listened with my iPod on shuffle, I didn't notice until I looked it up just now. Both "The Good" and "Silver Lining" are ready to go on my playlist below if you want to take a quick listen.

All in all, I think Rilo Kiley has a lot to offer and can't wait to see them live!
(Hoping for no conflicts... *crosses fingers*)