Review Summary: Soundtrack to the common teenage experience; the loneliness and despair, the delight and excitement (but mostly the despair).
It bothers me to no end when artists cater to a certain demographic they have no business dealing with. A personal little tic of mine is ever-present when I used to witness MTV absolutely venturing to define my teenage years with music I felt was very contrived and insignificant. If somebody else defines their formative high school years with Fergie’s “London Bridges,” great for you... but I’m happy to say that ever since I’ve taken music a bit more seriously, that hasn’t been me. Rather, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a much more sincere and accurate persona in the form of Jenny Lewis and her band, Rilo Kiley. As cliche as it sounds, her songwriting is the essence of the complexities of teenagedom.
The Execution of All Things is an indie must-have. With some of the best song-writing of this century I’ve heard, and a personal atmosphere that would make Ben Gibbard jealous, The Execution of All Things is a delightful, fresh, and endearing album for anyone that’s either a) been a fan of well-crafted and personal indie music or b) has been or is in the dramatic dips and highs of being a teenager.
“Let’s talk about all our friends that lost the war and all the novels that have yet to be written about them”
Hear me out on this one, Rilo Kiley draws you in with her voice. That’s how it begins. “The Good That Won’t Come Out Of It” is a slow build-up that begins with Jenny’s benign voice lamenting about bottled up emotions. She details feelings of this constraint,
“I do this thing where I think I'm real sick / But I won't go to the doctor to find out about it / Because they make you stay real still / In a real small space / As they chart up your insides and put them on display.” Her voice gets louder and more prominent throughout, but never loses that sense of kind understanding. To me, Jenny Lewis is that older, much more knowledgeable cousin that’s been through it all and wants to help you out here and there.
And sometimes when youre on / Youre really ***ing on / And your friends they sing along / And they love you / But the lows are so extreme / That the good seems ***ing cheap / And it teases you for weeks in its absence / But youll fight and youll make it through / Youll fake it if you have to
It’s truly difficult to separate the album into parts and pieces, because it truly is so cohesive. Whether it’s the way the vocals work so well with the simple percussion that introduces and ends most of the songs, or even the partially drawn person on the album cover (I’ve always taken it as a symbol of a teenager, becoming a more complete person),
The Execution Of All Things is so truly apposite. What I love focusing on with Rilo Kiley, though, is her subtlety and simplicity. I wish I could go through every lyric on the album, because each song offers a different take, a different perspective on the growing pains of life. “A Better Son-Daughter” (excerpt from above), is one of lyrically-favorite ditties, where Jenny coos about those feelings of inadequacy and trying, just
trying to be better.
”Oh god, come quickly, the execution of all things
Lets start with the bears and the air and mountains, rivers, and streams
Then well murder what matters to you and move on to your neighbors and kids
Crush all hopes of happiness with disease because of what you did”
Many of the songs take an approach that begins softly and ends with energy, it makes
The Execution of All Things incredibly easy to digest and gives of an air of fluidity and motion throughout the album. From start to finish, Rilo Kiley deliver spectacularly. From the more lyric-driven songs like the title track (excerpt above) or the more catchy, melody-centered tracks like “My Slumbering Heart” or “With Arms Outstretched,” Rilo Kiley proves that
The Execution of All Things is not an album to be ignored. From the soothing voice, to the insightful observations about growth, it’s hard to imagine anyone possibly having an inkling of distaste for the lovable talented indie darlings.
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