Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Rilo Kiley - The Execution Of All Things


Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
Published in 2002
Wikipedia

First off, many thanks to Grant. I got this on the first day of the project, and wanted to get back to it quickly. Hope that you'll make some more suggestions, but later, I've got like 10 albums on my plate right now, and that is building space into them.

Rilo Kiley's Execution Of All Things is an album that presents a lot of questions to me. Why do I find it moving? Why do I like it? What is it that makes a good indie rock record?

First, I will say, I was pretty sure I was going to write the album off at the beginning. It's a little light, and it seemed like they weren't taking things seriously, including the music. I find that I really enjoy the music of indie music, while sometimes I find the lyrical genius that people espouse about insufferable. But you know what? This record won me over, and it's actually precisely because of the vocalist(s) (I enjoyed both of them, but I have to think that her's are more fondly remembered than his). Her voice is incredibly ethereal, and I use that word knowing that every other person writing about Rilo Kiley must use that word to describe it, but seriously, it's the best word for it. Angelic would be too far up the ladder, and Earthy is far too low down for her, so we mix angelic and earthy and get Ethereal. The band can play, and does enough noodling around with sounds to be considered indie, and they produce some stuff that stands up well. It's a good album.

But what I really want to talk about here is a concept. I want to talk about "that Song." You know that Song. The one on any album that takes it from just good, to something more. You know, when you hit Consequence (for me, maybe others have a different one) on Make Yourself and you realize that these guys are not fucking around here. When you hear something that takes the whole album and kicks it up a notch, fucking makes it something that you are no longer just hearing and move over to 'Listening to'?

For me, that Song on this album was Hail to Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You. I don't know why, maybe I'm just in love with the weird sound of a slide guitar, and her voice mixing together, but all I can think about while listening to this song is that blue western sky, streaked with clouds and beautiful. It just felt perfect, and it really shifted how I was percieving the album. It made a huge difference in the way that I was listening to it.

I'm going to suggest you aquire this album, but I won't say that it is anything but optional. It's a fantastic album, but it definately will not appeal to everyone, which is part of the appeal to some people. So, what I'm saying is that Grant is a hipster douchebag. Wow, this essay took a turn somewhere.

Next up: The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album) in celebration of 09/09/09. If I had done it first, it would have been my 9th post too.

I don't think you're a hipster douchebag, Grant,

Matt.

5 comments:

  1. Jenny Lewis can really belt shit out, too. Listen to her white soul album (Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Furcoat) and tell me the woman can't throw some sound out there. Or even More Adventurous, the next (chronologically) RK album.

    I dunno if I could pick just one song that really makes this album, but I have heard Hail chosen by others, so you're certainly not alone. Better Son/Daughter might be it for me. Then again, it might be the title track, or it might be the first track. Hot damn do I love this album.

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  2. grant ever since you moved to the big city you've become such a hipster douchebag

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  3. See, I think the back end of this album is much stronger than the front end. But that might just be because I got into it more and more as it went along. Maybe in a year, I'll just go through everything I've already written and do the same albums over again, and really love this album.

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  4. See Im bit on this album, but have to write off rabbit furcoat. I didnt find that the Watson Twins added much to the album and would have rather seen a solo performance with maybe a little less country influence. Also, you're a hipster douchebag.

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  5. bit = big....

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