Rilo Kiley

When I listen to Rilo Kiley, I’m reminded of many great bands that never got their due: The Blake Babies, Bettie Serveert, Velocity Girl. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s were filled with great power pop with female vocals. But the male-dominated, radio-dominating grunge rock of the time made these bands anonymous to most casual music listeners.

Fast-forward ten years, and things haven't gotten much better. I don’t think anyone has illusions of bands like Rilo Kiley being played on Top 40 in the present state of popular music. Beyond word-of-mouth and college radio, this great album will unfortunately go unheard.

By calling the album More Adventurous, they are setting up music critics for an easy spike. While the songs are in fact more adventurous than on their previous releases, in the grand music landscape this is still just pop music, with a few dashes of outside influences. This time around the band was able to fully utilize the studio without losing themselves or their songs in production elements. The title may be a poor choice, but the songs are all extremely well-crafted and the album is solid and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The band was on a mission to create their best album to date. They succeeded. - Doug Kamin

For More Adventurous, Rilo Kiley's Warner-distributed hello to the big time, the Los Angeles band is more cohesive, more spotless, and tidier in its tangle of indie pop, torch song, and too-cool-for-school cynicism than ever before. This time out they favor craft over ruckus, rarefied over reckless. Sometimes Adventurous goes too far -- like Belle & Sebastian, RK's fastidiousness can become a sticky glaze. (The overwrought sway of "Does He Love You?" comes to mind.) But the album is a mostly-perfect collection of the various sounds the band does best, wrapped around easily findable hooks. They're well-dressed indie kids ready and quite able to charm the mainstream. Jenny Lewis' vocals are lighter than clouds and Petula Clarksweet, even if she occasionally spits venom. "Any asshole can open up a museum/Put all the things he loves on display," she dismisses in the Luna-like opener "It's a Hit." But Lewis' characters' faults and failings are just bruises on the Rilo Kiley fruit, blemishes that characterize the band's effortlessly clean swirl of live string arrangements, subtle synth/keys, and glowing acoustic guitar. "I Never" is a full-on, cast of thousands soundstage production, a robust, keening ballad filled with pedal steel, fuzzed-out Beatles guitar soloing, and Lewis' gargantuan voice. The title track takes us back to Rilo Kiley's earlier work with its atmospheric country feel, while "Love and War [11/11/46]" is refreshingly propulsive -- it could be Stereophonics covering Lone Justice. Most of the album's quieter moments are equally strong, if somewhat grayed out. Adventurous' stylistic restlessness might take some getting used to for new listeners. But fans from the Saddle Creek days will enjoy the greater attention to detail, and everyone will love the bountiful hooks. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide