Rilo Kiley
By
User:AllieCashel @timeAndDate(1278964644)
Often lost in the overwhelming world of Los Angeles, this indie rock band is not the most famous in the world but has been slowly gaining popularity since the release of their first album in 1999. As is typical with this genre of music, Rilo Kiley blurs the lines between different types of music (primarily indie pop and indie folk) to create their own, very unique style. Throughout the entirety of their career, the artists of Rilo Kiley have maintained complete artistic control of their music and their release dates, not an easy decision to make for a band trying to make it in L.A. but a decision that is starting to seem like the right one. Although they've had a slow start, Rilo Kiley now has a solid fan base and four popular albums, all of which are composed of music they like, and more importantly they created.
Creating The Band
Former child actors Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennet led the creation process, dedicated from the start to stick to their own music style. After attempting to release their first album, ''The Initial Friend'' without the help of a record company Lewis and Sennet realized they needed the assistance of a corporation in order to achieve their desired success. Following this realization, Lewis and Sennet formed a more solid group of musicians, provided an explanation for their band name (it's named after a character in one of Sennet's dreams) and set out to find a company that would release their work. They did, and have released four very popular albums since then. As of today, Rilo Kiley is made up of four musicians, Jenny Lewis (vocals, bass guitar, guitar and keyboard), Blake Sennet (guitar, keyboard and vocals), Pierre de Reeder (bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Jason Boesel (Drums). Dave Rock, their original drummer is no longer a member of the band.
Rilo Kiley Discography
* '''''The Initial Friend''''' (1999) - They originally tried to sell this album with out the help of a record company, and it was never formally released. Though a few copies are circling around on eBay, you cannot by it new.
* '''''Take Offs and Landings''''' (2001) - This album features Sennet as the lead vocalist and contains fifteen of Rilo Kiley's most popular songs. It was their debut full length album and has continued to grow in popularity since its original release.
* '''''The Execution of All Things''''' (2002) - In this album, they experimented with heavy electronic sampling in their songs which was unusual as they normally focused on guitar and vocals. Though slightly fragmented, the album tells the story of Jenny Lewis' childhood and her parents difficult divorce. Generally, people responded well to Lewis' vocal performance but the electronic sampling did not receive very positive reviews.
* '''''More Adventurous''''' (2004) - The title of the recording directly reflects the intention in making it: Rilo Kiley wanted to make their sound more unique and ultimately, their plan paid off. The album increased their fan base and finally gained them the critical acclaim they were looking for. Many feel this is the best of all four of the bands released CDs.
* '''''Under the Blacklight''''' (2007) - This is their most recent recording and features the solo projects of each member of the band. A rather dark story of artists struggling in L.A. runs underneath the current of the though powerful, commercially and critically acclaimed music that makes up this CD. ''Rolling Stone'' described the album as "even more adventurous" than the last, marking a clear improvement in the development development of the band's style and popularity. Hopefully there will be another to come.
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