Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Spectacular View

Boo. Floods suck. A lot.
Since it's a rainy day, what could be better than sitting on my bed in my PJs, eating some fresh-out-of-the-oven tater tots, writing a fabulous DI blog, and preparing for a Lost Season Three marathon? Nothing I tell you. Honest to blog. Lulz.

I've been on this crazy Rilo Kiley kick lately. No reason really, their latest album has been out for many months. But the other day our current houseguest overheard me playing the song "Silver Lining" and said she really liked it. Later, my roommate played some more for her and she is now a full-fledged, Omaha-lovin' fan. So since then, I've been on a strictly Jenny Lewis diet.

I've been going back and listening to their older stuff, stuff that I don't really pay too much attention to as of late, and it's wonderful. So in that spirit, I decided to blog about my 10 favorite Rilo Kiley songs ever!!!!! Haters can step so far to the left that my peripheral vision will fail to distinguish you from the clothes hanging in my closet. (Note: They're not really in order. The top one is my fav, though).

10. The Good That Won't Come Out
God, do I love the guitar in this song. The hi-hat, bass combo is fab, and Jenny's (Ms. Lewis if you're nast-ay) voice intro is deliciously eerie.

9. Love and War (11/11/46)
Rilo rocks out!! I bought this album when I was, like, 16 and thought I was way bomb when I cranked this song up in my car and totes rocked out erryday.

8. I Never
If you can resist Ms. Lewis's gorgeous opening line "Iiiiiiiiii'm only a wommmaaaaan..." and/or her Whitney Houston moment in the song's bridge, you have NO heart.

7. Glendora
OMG I'm so cool, referencing a song from their original EP. Really, though, I just like it.

6. Paint's Peeling
For some reason this song reminds me of the movie Carrie. No idea why. "It's a hard day for breathing...again..." Loves it.

5. Go Ahead
Awww, Jenny Lewis just sounds so adorable here. I love how it's so great, with just her and a guitar most of the time. To quote Jessica Alba in Honey, "I like you, ya flava's hot."

4. Pictures of Success
The band gets poignant. And I get touched every time.

3. Close Call
Ok, so Under the Blacklight wasn't their best album. I know. But it was darn catchy. And this song shows that Rilo's sound has matured (instrumentally and vocally), but they still have the ability to create ridiculously infections guitar hooks and melodies. Jenny Lewis's voice sounds the best it ever has on this record. Before I figured out that the KRUI DJ playlist editor records how many times you play songs, I used to play this song, like, every week.

2. Science vs. Romance
Retro and modern sounding all at once. Simply put, brilliant.

1. A Better Son/Daughter
Can you say ANTHEM?! The song goes from 0 to 60 in an instant (fans, you know EXACTLY the moment I'm talking about), requiring the classic fist-in-the-air hand action as you realize that "You'll fake it if you have to/And you'll show up to work with a smile." Without sounding too yuppie, the lyrics are so definitive and relatable you'll swear you wrote them yourself. The song is gorgeously climactic, you'll want to go outside, walk into work/school/whatever, and show everyone that you are the best at whatever you do.

There you have it. My indie cred has either significantly increased or decreased with this blog entry. I don't even know/care. So go make a playlist with these tunes and forget about all your problems. Just be sure to turn the volume low enough to hear the approaching tide.

He gone!

-Jake.

p.s. Tyra is so boggled by the choices of great songs, she doesn't even know which to listen to first!
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