Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: East Texas
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:20 pm Post subject:
Heather wrote:
You mean "should have"?
YES, thank you. One of my pet peeves. "Should have" or "should've," not "should of."
And I disagree with the original post. I'm not as in love with her solo projects as I am with Rilo Kiley, but Jenny Lewis' vocals are a big part of what makes Rilo Kiley, Rilo Kiley. _________________ I am flawed if I'm not free
YES, thank you. One of my pet peeves. "Should have" or "should've," not "should of."
And I disagree with the original post. I'm not as in love with her solo projects as I am with Rilo Kiley, but Jenny Lewis' vocals are a big part of what makes Rilo Kiley, Rilo Kiley.
Ditto and ditto!
I know Jason wasn't in the original lineup, but -- to me -- all four of them are irreplaceable, especially Jenny and Blake. Replacing lead vocalists always seems like a dumb thing to do, too. Even though I always wished Blake had gotten more recognition for his contributions to the band, Jenny was the face of RK and if some other chick took over, the band absolutely could not go on.
Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: East Texas
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:21 pm Post subject:
I kind of can't believe this sentiment (with the same grammatical error, no less) also was posted on Rilo Kiley's Facebook page. Rude. _________________ I am flawed if I'm not free
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:21 pm Post subject:
binky1984 wrote:
Heather wrote:
You mean "should have"?
YES, thank you. One of my pet peeves. "Should have" or "should've," not "should of."
And I disagree with the original post. I'm not as in love with her solo projects as I am with Rilo Kiley, but Jenny Lewis' vocals are a big part of what makes Rilo Kiley, Rilo Kiley.
If there were a word that could express agreeing with more vigor then I would use it. RK and her side projects for me are like the difference between a strong drug and a moderate drug. The strong drug has more of an effect but the moderate drug is still enjoyable and gets the job done.
I dunno, Acid Tongue came pretty damn close to satisfying me the way the earlier RK albums did. _________________ Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.
I wouldn't mind seeing Blake bring in some female singer or singers to work with him on the Elected, as long as he remains the main dude.
I'm also hoping that clearing the air can lead to Jenny and Blake doing guest spots on each others material.
Also, Blake and Jenny should reclaim more of their RK material and play it live. We can go beyond "Ripchord" and "Silver Lining." Some of the guitar lines may be tough for Mr. Rice... _________________ Visit me at The Walrus Speaks.
I know Jason wasn't in the original lineup, but -- to me -- all four of them are irreplaceable,especially Jenny and Blake. Replacing lead vocalists always seems like a dumb thing to do, too. Even though I always wished Blake had gotten more recognition for his contributions to the band, Jenny was the face of RK and if some other chick took over, the band absolutely could not go on.
If Jason or Pierre opted out for whatever reason, then adding someone else is up to the rest of the group. But to exclude any one of the four who wanted in would be unacceptable for me. And without both Jenny and Blake it's a fake. _________________ Visit me at The Walrus Speaks.
Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 86 Location: Baltimore, MD
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:54 pm Post subject:
binky1984 wrote:
I kind of can't believe this sentiment (with the same grammatical error, no less) also was posted on Rilo Kiley's Facebook page. Rude.
I don't exactly agree with the statement, but it isn't exactly rude.
For sometime I've been personally upset abou the state of RK. LIke Blake, I was not a fan of UTBL. Actually, I was almost gobsmacked over how mediocre it was, and how great songs they'd been playing live were left off in favore of the songs Blake mentioned and a few others. It always felt to me like another Jenny solo project. I just couldn't feel Blake's print on that record.
And at the same time, Jenny has continued all this effort into a mediocre solo career whilte the once great RK was just hung out to dry.
I guess I feel for Blake in all this. When he and Jenny were firing on all cylinders (between TOAL and MA) they displayed true greatness. The complimentary comparisons to a modern Fleetwood Mac were spot on.
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:50 am Post subject:
Winter Version wrote:
LIke Blake, I was not a fan of UTBL.
Like the article, I think you and many others are taking ANOTHER of Blake's statements out of context. From my memory, I've never seen a quote that specifically stated "I did not like Under The Blacklight". Now if you're referring to the quote I think you are in the NME article in which he said more or less "we had some of our best songs but some of our worst songs on that album" and "Its not our best record by far but it could've been. I agree with both those statements and I'm a FAN of UTB so I don't see how that's "dismissive". Those statements to me expresses ambivalence, not dislike and I think they used the word "dismissively" because the author was not a fan of the album himself. And as someone who IS a fan of UTB, I would also agree that they had some of their best and worst songs on there, Silver Lining being in the best, and Breakin Up being in the worst. So again, if this is in fact the quote that everyone keeps referring to, I think its being taken out of context. Let's be real here, he had to have liked ALL the songs at least a little otherwise he wouldn't have recorded them. Aside from Jenny, Blake was one of the driving forces in the band. The leading man if you will. He definitely likes it more than the EP because they openly refuse to play ANYTHING from the EP and Blake seems to be the most adamant about this. He claims they were under pressure but I dunno... say what you want about UTB but its still not very radio friendly or commercial so if thats what they were pressured into recording, they should feel lucky. I think all he was saying with that quote is that there was some really good songs on that record and they were overshadowed by some really bad songs that took away from the overall quality of the album (again, I agree.)
Now if there is some other quote floating around that explicitly says "I felt UTB was shit" then I will happily excuse myself but that specific quote to me doesnt say "I'm not a fan of the album". It almost sounded like he was defending it. _________________ Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.
Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 86 Location: Baltimore, MD
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:45 pm Post subject:
bello_returns wrote:
Winter Version wrote:
LIke Blake, I was not a fan of UTBL.
Like the article, I think you and many others are taking ANOTHER of Blake's statements out of context. From my memory, I've never seen a quote that specifically stated "I did not like Under The Blacklight". Now if you're referring to the quote I think you are in the NME article in which he said more or less "we had some of our best songs but some of our worst songs on that album" and "Its not our best record by far but it could've been. I agree with both those statements and I'm a FAN of UTB so I don't see how that's "dismissive". Those statements to me expresses ambivalence, not dislike and I think they used the word "dismissively" because the author was not a fan of the album himself. And as someone who IS a fan of UTB, I would also agree that they had some of their best and worst songs on there, Silver Lining being in the best, and Breakin Up being in the worst. So again, if this is in fact the quote that everyone keeps referring to, I think its being taken out of context. Let's be real here, he had to have liked ALL the songs at least a little otherwise he wouldn't have recorded them. Aside from Jenny, Blake was one of the driving forces in the band. The leading man if you will. He definitely likes it more than the EP because they openly refuse to play ANYTHING from the EP and Blake seems to be the most adamant about this. He claims they were under pressure but I dunno... say what you want about UTB but its still not very radio friendly or commercial so if thats what they were pressured into recording, they should feel lucky. I think all he was saying with that quote is that there was some really good songs on that record and they were overshadowed by some really bad songs that took away from the overall quality of the album (again, I agree.)
Now if there is some other quote floating around that explicitly says "I felt UTB was shit" then I will happily excuse myself but that specific quote to me doesnt say "I'm not a fan of the album". It almost sounded like he was defending it.
I didn't take a thing out of context. I always thought some of those songs were just too much of an effort to experiment with the formula, and they didn't work. And the fact that some of the great songs they'd been playing were left off just didn't make sense. Blake basically seems to agree. If you see it differently, that's fine. I still wish Blake and Jenny could come together and make music the music that seems natural to them. _________________ http://warped45.blogspot.com
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:33 pm Post subject:
Winter Version wrote:
I didn't take a thing out of context. I always thought some of those songs were just too much of an effort to experiment with the formula, and they didn't work. And the fact that some of the great songs they'd been playing were left off just didn't make sense. Blake basically seems to agree. If you see it differently, that's fine. I still wish Blake and Jenny could come together and make music the music that seems natural to them.
I wasn't attacking your statement, I was just saying in my own long-winded way that I didn't get "dislike" from that quote. I got an ambivalent sort of vibe from it along the lines of "it was ok. it was good. but it could've been way better." All the under pressure stuff he speaks up just sound like an artist trying to justify and explain why their work wasn't as "on par" with everything else. _________________ Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.
Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Saint Louis, MO
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:50 pm Post subject:
Months after touring for the record, Jenny reflected back on UTB in interviews:
“The truth is, I turned myself into a fake pop star for ‘Under the Blacklight,’ ” Lewis says. “People like to think Warner Brothers molded us into this pop band, but that’s what we really wanted to do, and at the time I thought that is what I wanted for that record. I was very capable of singing pop songs and strutting around in hot pants. That’s one aspect of my personality. But do I think that personality best suits the songs I write? No way.” (Chicago Tribune, September 2008)
"We thought we had recorded a good commercial album and nobody heard of it. When you record an album like that it's not enough to be happy with the result, it has to reach the people. And it didn't happen. I looked at the charts and thought: 'Where the hell are we?' My last solo album [Rabbit Fur Coat], which was intentionally anti-commercial, had much more impact. I think we should reconsider things in Rilo Kiley." (from a Spanish newspaper, September 2008)
To add, I personally love the old country/country rock music. Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue are possibly coveted more than a few Rilo albums to me.
Months after touring for the record, Jenny reflected back on UTB in interviews:
“The truth is, I turned myself into a fake pop star for ‘Under the Blacklight,’ ” Lewis says. “People like to think Warner Brothers molded us into this pop band, but that’s what we really wanted to do, and at the time I thought that is what I wanted for that record. I was very capable of singing pop songs and strutting around in hot pants. That’s one aspect of my personality. But do I think that personality best suits the songs I write? No way.” (Chicago Tribune, September 2008)
"We thought we had recorded a good commercial album and nobody heard of it. When you record an album like that it's not enough to be happy with the result, it has to reach the people. And it didn't happen. I looked at the charts and thought: 'Where the hell are we?' My last solo album [Rabbit Fur Coat], which was intentionally anti-commercial, had much more impact. I think we should reconsider things in Rilo Kiley." (from a Spanish newspaper, September 2008)
To add, I personally love the old country/country rock music. Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue are possibly coveted more than a few Rilo albums to me.
Good find. This is the problem when you get too calculating. The original fanbase has to be very enthusiastic to spread the word, so each album gets bigger. After More Adventurous, I would preach the gospel of RK. I converted several people into huge fans, who in turn converted more. But I was ashamed of UTB. Not that it was bad, but it wasn't something I would vouch for with the very intense music fans and many musicians that I know. In fact, I apologized for it.
Of course, if one of those songs had become a smash, then they would have been vindicated by the approach, but music doesn't work like that anymore. Maybe that was harder to see in 2006 and 2007. _________________ Visit me at The Walrus Speaks.
Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Saint Louis, MO
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:47 pm Post subject:
I can agree with that. ^
There were a few songs I enjoyed from UTB, but if you were a listener that was formerly unfamiliar with Rilo Kiley and only heard UTB, you'd probably just blow it off as an album worth 4 dollars to gather dust on a shelf.
The Moneymaker was actually what got me into Rilo, ironically enough. I was listening to my Last.FM station, heard that song and though "Damn, that sounds like something out of '69. " I discovered it was Rilo Kiley (I HAD heard the name before), and immediately listened through the albums in order. Actually, Rilo opened for a Coldplay concert here in STL back in '04. I thought their opening act was garbage, and I still assume it probably was; outdoors in the middle of July in STL is not a friendly place.
The albums that should receive the most attention, in my book, would be everything BUT UTB. UTB seems like an extra for all of the fans that weren't adverse to something a bit different. UTB did NOT seem like an album that should be regarded as a major release. If that makes sense.
Does that make sense?
I know what I'm trying to say, anyway.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
UTB shouldn't be the main course of your meal. The others should. UTB should be the grilled alligator tail side dish that you're kind of unsure about, but still willing to enjoy every now and then.
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:30 pm Post subject:
I wholeheartedly disagree with the above post. And I also think that Jenny and Blake are both backpedaling and making excuses for why UTB failed. If UTB had been a runaway success, the fans may not have been singing a different tune about the album (no pun intended) but the band sure would have. If they thought the songs were so horrible, they wouldn't have released them, period. And all this bullshit about "Warner Bros pressuring us" is also bullshit because Acid Tongue was released on WB and Jenny Lewis seemed to have complete creative control over that and she seems to be happy with the results. WB also distributed More Adventurous so the label certainly didnt dislike their "old" sound. They are making excuses for why the album failed. I'll tell ya why it failed. It failed because their fans didnt like their new direction (I did though). And to me, it wasnt a far cry from their old stuff. In fact, I think UTB was more in line with their old stuff than More Adventurous was. Portions For Foxes, Love & War, Accidntel Deth and It's A Hit were far more "experimental" and "poppy" in terms of their old sound than anything on UTB save for Give A Little Love (which I loved). I also think that the people who didn't like it are eating up Jenny and Blake's criticism of it as some sort of justification for their displeasure like "aha! I knew it sucked! Jenny and Blake think it did too". They know they thought it was a masterpiece when they were done recording. Jenny of all people had no good reason to return to Rilo Kiley as RFC got excellent reviews and she was doing pretty well on her own. So why go back to your old band and record music you deem to be shitty? Maybe Blake had a reason. Duke and Boesel CERTAINLY had a reason. But Jenny didn't if you ask me.
Jenny and Blake as of late have been really annoying me with their excuse making with the drama and with UTB. I hate when artists don't defend their art or make excuses for it. Don't put your name on something if you aren't happy with it. I'm sure they loved all those songs until the fans expressed their displeasure. They seem very insecure with their music and its not endearing. I think I'm Having Fun Now is far more disjointed and unfocused than UTB. If they're not going to defend Under The Blacklight, I will. I think it was just as genius as their other stuff. We can debate it until the cows come home (and we probably will) but I'm not buying the excuses. They liked the album at the time of recording, they're just embarrassed that it was a critical flop. _________________ Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.
Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Saint Louis, MO
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 7:16 pm Post subject:
bello_returns wrote:
I wholeheartedly disagree with the above post. And I also think that Jenny and Blake are both backpedaling and making excuses for why UTB failed. If UTB had been a runaway success, the fans may not have been singing a different tune about the album (no pun intended) but the band sure would have. If they thought the songs were so horrible, they wouldn't have released them, period. And all this bullshit about "Warner Bros pressuring us" is also bullshit because Acid Tongue was released on WB and Jenny Lewis seemed to have complete creative control over that and she seems to be happy with the results. WB also distributed More Adventurous so the label certainly didnt dislike their "old" sound. They are making excuses for why the album failed. I'll tell ya why it failed. It failed because their fans didnt like their new direction (I did though). And to me, it wasnt a far cry from their old stuff. In fact, I think UTB was more in line with their old stuff than More Adventurous was. Portions For Foxes, Love & War, Accidntel Deth and It's A Hit were far more "experimental" and "poppy" in terms of their old sound than anything on UTB save for Give A Little Love (which I loved). I also think that the people who didn't like it are eating up Jenny and Blake's criticism of it as some sort of justification for their displeasure like "aha! I knew it sucked! Jenny and Blake think it did too". They know they thought it was a masterpiece when they were done recording. Jenny of all people had no good reason to return to Rilo Kiley as RFC got excellent reviews and she was doing pretty well on her own. So why go back to your old band and record music you deem to be shitty? Maybe Blake had a reason. Duke and Boesel CERTAINLY had a reason. But Jenny didn't if you ask me.
Jenny and Blake as of late have been really annoying me with their excuse making with the drama and with UTB. I hate when artists don't defend their art or make excuses for it. Don't put your name on something if you aren't happy with it. I'm sure they loved all those songs until the fans expressed their displeasure. They seem very insecure with their music and its not endearing. I think I'm Having Fun Now is far more disjointed and unfocused than UTB. If they're not going to defend Under The Blacklight, I will. I think it was just as genius as their other stuff. We can debate it until the cows come home (and we probably will) but I'm not buying the excuses. They liked the album at the time of recording, they're just embarrassed that it was a critical flop.
Check my post a couple above my last one. _________________ meh.
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 7:20 pm Post subject:
I probably should have pointed out the specific part of those post I disagreed with about how UTB shouldn't have been presented as the main course or whatever.
My displeasure wasn't directed at you at all. It was completely directed at Jenny and Blake's excuse making. I've accepted how the fans feel about the album good and bad but I don't accept Jenny and Blake's hindsight which is why I'm again calling bullshit on them. So yeah, all that wasn't really meant for you. I guess your two posts prompted me to say what I said. _________________ Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 567 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 7:25 pm Post subject:
delia wrote:
totally. let's start a campaign to hire rebecca black as the new lead singer of rilo kiley.
Btw, I love Rebecca Black in a so bad its amazing type way. When I was in Amsterdam, my friend and I got super high and watched her video on repeat for about 2 hours. Its so blatantly bad that I can't imagine that it was a serious attempt at a pop song. Ironically, she's actually not all that bad of a singer. I also love how she admits that she's not the best singer in the world. I think it was a joke that everyone fell for. I tend to see it as a parody of the overproduced Auto-Tuned musical world we live in.
Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Saint Louis, MO
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:18 am Post subject:
Oh, no worries. I know it wasn't directed at me. I just felt the quote from Jenny about wanting to do an album of pop music was fitting for what you'd said. It seems like they were happy with what they released, then realized they hadn't made the charts or anything and decided it maybe wasn't a great idea after all.
In the end, I suppose they enjoyed themselves when they were recording and releasing it. As long as they're happy with the end result, you can't really blame them.
Shit, I wish I was famous with a music career. xD _________________ meh.
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They know they thought it was a masterpiece when they were done recording. Jenny of all people had no good reason to return to Rilo Kiley as RFC got excellent reviews and she was doing pretty well on her own. So why go back to your old band and record music you deem to be shitty? Maybe Blake had a reason. Duke and Boesel CERTAINLY had a reason. But Jenny didn't if you ask me.
