Ratcheting Up the Fabulousness

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 14, 2007 8:02PM

Rilo Kiley has been around for nine years, did y'all know that? In that time, they've achieved a modicum of success for an indie band: respectable records sales figures, critical acclaim, lots of pretty photos. Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis have both done well for themselves outside of the band, and the breakup of their romantic relationship a couple of years ago doesn't appear to have adversely affected the band they share.

The band's latest effort Under the Blacklight is a definite step towards the pop mainstream, but it shows a blatant willingness to please and an acute understanding of what sounds good. Funny how many bands in today's holier (as in both the nonsecular and the thrift store sense)-than-thou independent music scene forget that if you want to survive on your "art," you have to convince more than just a few hardcore snobs to buy it. For all the potential cries of "sellout," Lewis & company deserve plenty of praise for stepping out of an underground that's decidedly overcrowded.

Rilo Kiley play The Riviera tomorrow night, Johnathan Rice and Grand Ole Party open | 7pm | $22.50