Under the Blacklight

Infobox Album | Name = "Under the Blacklight"
Type = Studio Album
Artist = Rilo Kiley


Released = flagicon|Netherlands August 17, 2007 flagicon|UK August 20, 2007 flagicon|USA August 21, 2007 flagicon|GER August 24, 2007
Recorded = Summer 2006/Spring 2007
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = |37:30 Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer = Rilo Kiley Jason Lader Mike Elizondo
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://wc08.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3nfexzt5ldhe link]
*Artistdirect.com Rating|4|5
*Billboard Rating|4|5
*Blender Magazine Rating|4.5|5
*Hot Press Rating|3.5|5
*Mojo Rating|4|5
*"NME" rating-10|5 [http://www.nme.com/reviews/rilo-kiley/8866 link]
*"Pitchfork Media" (5.1/10.0) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/44944-under-the-blacklight link]
*Planet Sound rating-10|8
*"Q" Rating|4|5
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rilokiley/albums/album/15828485/review/15854694/under_the_blacklight link]
*Slant Magazine Rating|4|5
*SPIN Rating|4|5
*The Times Rating|3|5
*"Uncut" Rating|5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/15828485/review/15854694/under_the_blacklight link]
*"Yahoo! Music UK" rating-10|6 [http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/070903/33/21ieq.html link]
Last album = "More Adventurous" (2004)
This album = "Under the Blacklight" (2007)
Next album =

"Under the Blacklight" is the fourth full-length studio album released by American alternative rock band Rilo Kiley. It was released on August 20, 2007 in the United Kingdom - three years and three days after the release of their third album, "More Adventurous". Warner Bros. Records released the album one day later in America. "Silver Lining" was #27 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. [No byline (December 11, 2007). [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601363/the_100_best_songs_of_2007/7 "The 100 Best Songs of 2007"] "Rolling Stone". Retrieved 2007-12-21]

Album history

The album marks the return of the band following individual solo projects. On January 24th, 2006, Jenny Lewis released "Rabbit Fur Coat" while Blake Sennett released "Sun, Sun, Sun" with The Elected.

The album was produced by the band with Jason Lader and Mike Elizondo. [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43379-rilo-kiley-reveal-iblacklighti-tracklist-us-release-date Rilo Kiley Reveal "Blacklight" Tracklist] Pitchfork Media] The first single to be released from the album was "The Moneymaker". [ [http://www.rilokiley.net/viewtopic.php?t=11815 RKNet [rilokiley.net Rilo Kiley multimedia and information ] ] The second single will be "Silver Lining."

Several tracks from "Blacklight" were leaked in advance of the album's official release date. On August 17, 2007, the band started streaming the whole album on their MySpace page.

The album's jewel case is tinted purple, reminiscent of a blacklight. The album's covers and inlays were designed by Lewis and Pierre de Reeder, with photography by Autumn de Wilde. The liner notes do not feature any song lyrics.

The band's first official major label debut features a number of guests musicians, including Jackson Browne, Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet and James Valentine and Mickey Madden from Maroon 5. However, the album credits do not state on which songs the guests appear.

"Under the Blacklight" debuted at number 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 27,000 copies in its first week. [Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003632746 "'High School Musical 2' Hangs On Atop Billboard 200"] , Billboard.com, August 29, 2007.]

On September 25, 2007, Rilo Kiley appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to perform "Dreamworld".

"Breakin' Up" was heard at the end of the Grey's Anatomy season 4 episode "Forever Young".

"The MoneyMaker" was used as the background music in promotional spots for Fox Network's "Canterbury's Law."

"Dreamworld" was the first Rilo Kiley song to become popular in Russian Federation. In November 2007 it was added to the playlist of Maximum, one of the most popular stations in Russia.

Reception

"Blacklight" tells a dark story. It is "an album written about Los Angeles' sketchy side ... of characters starving for fame and fortune". [Laura Leebove, Billboard (June 04, 2008), [http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003812274 "Rilo Kiley / June 2, 2008 / New York (Terminal 5)"] It received generally positive reviews from the media. The album received many Fleetwood Mac comparisons. [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/15828485/review/15854694/under_the_blacklight Under The Blacklight review] Rolling Stone] [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2272264.ece Review] The Times] Critics praised the band's move into a newer sound, with Rolling Stone calling it "yet even more adventurous" (referring to the band's 2004 album "More Adventurous"). However, the LP received mixed reviews from fans. [ [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/rilokiley/undertheblacklight Metacritic] ]

This album was #8 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007. [ROBERT CHRISTGAU, DAVID FRICKE, CHRISTIAN HOARD, ROB SHEFFIELD (December 17, 2007). [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601851/the_top_50_albums_of_2007/4 "The Top 50 Albums of 2007"] "Rolling Stone". Retrieved 2007-12-20]

The "January/February 2008" issue of Blender Magazine named "Under the Blacklight" the tenth best album of 2007, referring to it as "an album of classically sleek, apocalyptic '70s L.A. coke-rock, in the fine Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan tradition."

Track listing

All songs written by Jenny Lewis unless indicated otherwise.
#"Silver Lining" - 3:35
#"Close Call" - 3:20
#"The Moneymaker" - 2:51
#"Breakin' Up" (Jenny Lewis/Blake Sennett) - 3:37
#"Under the Blacklight" - 3:33
#"Dreamworld" (Blake Sennett/Morgan Nagler) - 4:43
#"Dejalo" (Jenny Lewis/Johnathan Rice) - 3:16
#"15" - 2:50
#"Smoke Detector" - 2:58
#"The Angels Hung Around" - 3:03
#"Give a Little Love" - 3:41Tracks 1-4 and 6 produced by Jason Lader and Rilo Kiley. Tracks 5 and 7-11 produced by Mike Elizondo.

Credits

All songs published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom (all BMI) except: "Dreamworld" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom/Morgan Nagler (all BMI) "Dejalo" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom (all BMI)/Point Longstreet Publishing (ASCAP)

*Producers – Rilo Kiley, Jason Lader, Mike Elizondo
*Engineers – Blent Arrowood, Michael Bloom, Jedidiah Burtoft, Scott Gibson, Danny Kalb, Bill Mims & Jason Mott
*Mixing – Jason Lader, Adam Hawkins
*Recording – Jason Lader, Adam Hawkins, Paul Dieter
*Mastering - Brian Gardner

References