Redux: Rilo Kiley, “Takeoffs and Landings”

(Rilo Kiley, "Science Vs. Romance")

Every now and then, I’ll have a record on heavy rotation and then I’ll put it aside for awhile before rediscovering it at a later date. Between Rilo Kiley’s releases, I’ve always favored “The Execution of All Things.” The production and songwriting are stellar and displays the best collaborative effort between Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis, the band’s primary songwriters. Not to say anything bad about their debut, “Takeoffs and Landings,” but to paraphrase something that Lewis said in an interview, it’s a glorified demo.

Which is not to say that it’s an incomplete record; in fact, it’s probably a far more realized effort than “More Adventurous” or “Under the Blacklight.”

This morning, in a fit of sensitive artistry, I listened to “Takeoffs” on my iPod and took into the morose ambiance of the album. For all its raw attributes and sonic meandering, it’s a comforting record to listen to on a lonely December day.

Bravo, Rilo Kiley.