Review Summary: Rilo Kiley perfect their craft with "The Execution of All Things"
One of the best things in music, to me, is when a band builds upon their sound and finally release an album that everyone knows they are capable of making. This is Rilo Kiley in a nutshell. Their debut Take-Offs & Landings was an average record at best, but showed great potential. It started off well, but the album soon fell apart and it was obvious that Rilo Kiley, at the time, couldn’t make a full album yet. With The Execution of All Things they have certainly changed that.
The album is full of catchy pop tunes that are sure to please the listener. Jenny Lewis’ voice has become a lot stronger and because of it more songs stick out. Previously, her voice was quite weak and some songs truly suffered from it. Well, it looks like she learned because on songs like “Paint’s Peeling” her voice truly stands out and so does Blake Sennet’s guitar playing for a change. On previous songs Blake Sennet’s guitar playing was mediocre at best and on some songs on their debut album the riffs he used sounded dull, uninspiring, and worst of all like he was recycling the same riff. Well he must have taken lessons somewhere because his guitar playing truly shines on tracks like “The Execution of All Things” and “ A Better Son-Daughter” where he displays his new found talent with a catchy guitar solo in each song.
Another flaw that Jenny Lewis and company seem to have to have cleared up are their lyrics. Again, on their debut another stand out flaw was clearly the lyrics. Outside of “Science vs. Romance” the lyrics were nothing to write home about and felt very cliched. Their mediocre song writing was apparent on tracks such as “Bulletproof” where Lewis sings, “If you think you’re bulletproof you’re right because you’ve weathered all my slings and arrows well.” Really, what was entertaining on a first listen becomes annoying on repeated listens, but luckily the band discovered what good song writing and put it on this album. On “Spectacular Views” Lewis sings, “You never knew why you felt so good in the strangest of places, like in waiting rooms and long lines that made you late...” I feel that this is much more relatable to listeners as while you may not like waiting rooms or long lines I’m sure that there is something strange that you enjoy that others simply do not.
To be honest it’s hard to find a flaw in this album because it all comes together so nicely and every member of the band has outdone themselves on this album. Rilo Kiley have really created something excellent here with The Execution of All Things and have improved on just about everything that flawed their first album. Whether it be Lewis finally finding her voice and learning how to use it properly, or whether it is the lyrics or Sennet’s guitar playing that have gotten better there is no denying that The Execution of All Things is an excellent record from top to bottom with really no weak songs. While it may be no classic of the indie pop genre it is surely an enjoyable album that is not to be missed.
