Comments on: Rilo Kiley are Fucking Overrated

By: Kindy

Kindy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:12:46 +0000

I have always found Rilo Kiley’s music boring beyond reason and jenny’s singing style utterly obnoxious. Most of her fans are, indeed, lonely indie boys without girlfriends. She is cute, but not beautiful, and completely harmless because of this. Men love cute harmless chicks. Her lyrics are trite and her “anger” is always contrived and “adorable.” oh my god, you just yelled a swear word! How bloody lovely! I can’t wait till this band goes away. i saw them live and jenny swayed on the stage in some hideous glittery shorts while the audience drooled at her tits. booooooring.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:25:37 +0000

Hello James. I tend to be really loose with the term indie – mostly I just use it as an incredibly vague term for guitar music, really. In other words, incorporating independent, the 80s indie ‘sound’ and then the kind of generic tat that’s grown out of it since. So yes, far too vague, but I should imagine you probably know what I mean.

In terms of not judging them by their later work, I entirely accept that you may have a point there. I came to them rather late – around the time of More Adventurous – at which point the British glossies (I’m in the UK too – Edinburgh, specifically) were in something of a froth about them. You’re right though, they haven’t been too firmly on the radar of the British mainstream press, but the blogosphere got so over-excited about More Adventurous, the buildup to Black Light and all things Jenny Lewis that I became entirely sick of it.

So without the familiarity with their earlier work, which a few people now have told me that I really should get into, I was faced with two really mediocre albums and all sorts of internet excitement, which I found completely baffling – hence my use of the term over-rated.

By: James

James — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:09:36 +0000

Also what do you mean an “indie” album? Indie is an attitude, not a music style.

By: James

James — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:08:35 +0000

I disagree. I’ve listened to them a hell of a lot and was unaware mainly of the indie kid jumping bandwagon surrounding them (nobody knows about them here in the UK), and whilst I hated their latest album, I have to say that their other stuff I find to be exceptional. Not only is it my favourite blend of Rock / Country out there (in addition to bands like Murder By Death etc) and that Lewis’s voice is absolutely fantastic, but their songs have some very subtle but quite significant depth to them. Even if it is a subtle line in a song that seems completely irrelevant – “Absence of God” has the line(s) “And Rob says you love, love, love, and then you die
I’ve watched him while sleeping and seen him crying with closed eyes” which reminds me quite a lot of Muse’s Thoughts of a Dying atheist and really hits home with my own feelings regarding death – as an atheist, I accept death, but there’s something about finite life that is quite sickening and depressing. There are various other situations like this. Have you heard their “Initial Friend” EP? Songs on that like Glendora pack a great punch and songs like Asshole are really quite beautiful,with subtle harmonies and slide guitars. I’m surprised, if you listened to the albums you talk about, that you missed songs like “Does He Love me?”, “It Just Is” and “A Man/Me/Then Jim”.

A wonderfully intense, subtle and varied band — I don’t think you “get” them at all if you can simply discard them as crap.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:20:44 +0000

Indeed you may well be right. It’s not my thing, but who am I to claim to be some sort of eternal arbiter of taste. I really don’t like it, but I’d never claim that as some kind of quality marker.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:08:59 +0000

You can dislike them all you want, but to say they are crap is just wrong. You may hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, but they are still an amazing band, just an amazing band that doesn’t appeal to you.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:59:16 +0000

That is absolutely fair, in pretty much all points. Very, very few bands choose to be made into press or blog favourites, that’s for sure. And although I’ve never seen RK, Jenny Lewis’ solo gig was excellent, once she warmed up, and a good live show makes a massive difference.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a hater exactly – I do like some of their stuff – it’s just that with all the hype I have tried and tried to get into their stuff and eventually had to admit defeat. I just don’t like ‘em that much.

By: Rupert Cadell

Rupert Cadell — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:51:15 +0000

Look “Black Light” does not appeal to me and I am an avid fan. I think “Execution of All Things” was a very good album. And their quirky “Initial Friend EP” is a good listen. Jenny’s solo effort, while I’m not country inclined, was well written. The real charm to these guys is in their live performance. They work really hard to put ona good show and are much better musicians than their albums bear. And most importantly, I’ve seen them several times and whether there are 50 people in the audience or 1000′s, they are genuienly appreciative of their fans and whatever amount of sucess(limited) they have received. I would really encourage all the bashers out there to see ‘em live. And quite frankly, its really not their fault that the rock media has decided to make them an “it” choice.

By: me

me — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:47:13 +0000

it was an honest apology. i get defensive when it comes to my babies. i would not have survived the cutting years of high school if jenny lewis didnt remind me that modern girls can fold in half so easily. oh, to be an awkward homosexual in high school again. *snaps rubberband*

seriously though, the outburst was random and uncalled for. you do good work.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:35:04 +0000

Well, I really enjoyed World Won’t End, but I would never hail it as the second coming.

I don’t know – I file both under pleasant Sunday afternoon music, but nothing I would get my knickers in a twist over. That’s why the level of excitement has slightly baffled me – although its quite possible I misread it and the level of hype was less than I thought. It may have a lot to do with the slightly dadrocky publications I read, like Uncut and the like.

Of all the albums covered by this discussion I would rate Rabbit Fur Coat the highest and perhaps World Won’t End next.