Rilo Kiley's new record = Ehhhh....

Rilo Kiley
"Under the Blacklight"
(Warner Bros.)

I'm not really sure what to write about Rilo Kiley that hasn't been addressed before. Let's state the obvious: Yes, they have a girl singer; yes, Joey the Rat from "Boy Meets World" is also in the band; yes, those two used to date. We got that out of the way, now onto the music.

The first two Rilo Kiley records are probably my favorite and it will take one massive awesome stab at rekindling the spirit of those albums for me to really get any joy from listening to their new jams. Not that 2005's "More Adventurous" was bad per se, but it did take me a while to listen to it before I started getting into the record.

"Under the Blacklight" may be of similar ilk, in as much it's a slow burn of an album. There are more "signature" R.K. songs in the form of the title track, "The Angels Hung Around," and "Close Call." But then their attempts to do more pop accessible tunes like the lead single, "The Moneymaker," "Give a Little Love," or the Klymaxxx/Pointer Sisters-influenced "Breakin' Up," is nothing short of annoying. They're not terrible ("Breakin' Up" may even be the album's high point) they just seem to trip up the flow of the album. It's kind of like putting Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" in the middle of a Roseanne Cash compilation.

At this moment, all I can really say about this record is that there are great songs on it, but as a cohesive album, it kind of stinks. But then again, I also said the same thing about "More Adventurous," so I might change my mind later, but probably not. Also, I wouldn't mind of Blake Sennett quit this band to do The Elected full time. That band is way better.