California upstart Rilo Kiley brings a second album in as many years. Last year’s Take Offs and Landings was largely ignored and unfortunately so, as it was a collection of lovable pop songs and emotional drive. Execution of All Things seems to be an extension, more jaded and more angry and louder, too.
The first cut starts with an undeniably cheesy drum loop but quickly finds itself accompanied by a delicate guitar line courtesy of Blake Sennet. Jenny Lewis’ vocals are apathetic and mousy, pointing to desperation and frustration.
The action builds until finally the drum loop is overtaken by Jason Boesel (drums) and Pierre de Reeder (bass), ending in a climactic explosion of overdriven mixers, while Lewis recites, “It’s all the good that won’t come out of us / and how eventually my mouth will just turn to dust / if I don’t tell you quick / standing here on this frozen lake.”
Execution seems to always point toward a conflict, but the war is never made explicit. We’re told that “the war has been over for years” on “Paint’s Peeling.” “Soldiers come quickly” in Execution of All Things. The militant backdrop entangles itself with relationships, jobs and art, begging the assumption that the war may be life itself.
Production values are astoundingly effective. In “Execution of All Things,” Lewis sings doubled by her own distorted voice, while synths loop in the background.
Sennet takes his turn at the microphone on several tracks as well. Perfectly matched to Lewis’ mousy voice and Western-affected pronunciations, Sennet tends to find the spotlight for the happier pop songs. Despite the somewhat-tired subject matter (love, lost love, unrequited love), the guitar lines are always remarkably well-conceived and the melodies infectious.
Take Offs and Landings was dotted with instrumental, almost circus-sounding tunes. Before “Capturing Moods,” we hear the same theme and original construction, but this time as a hidden track in the middle of the disk. The song itself appears as a minute-and-a-half lead in to the fifth track and is a wonderfully original song with a melancholy reminiscence.
Other notables include the catchy “Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You,” a title that sprawls across the back of the jewel case. The song is rife with acoustic guitars, slide guitar and a distinctly country twang.
In “My Slumbering Heart,” a pinging metronome leads into the bouncy refrain: “It’s become just like a chemical stress / tracing my face for something more beautiful than is there / I’ve barely gone.”
If Rilo Kiley can be faulted, it would have to be with an indisputable loss of focus. The first five tracks are full of innovation and energy, pulling the listener in with baited breath to hear the next thing that is said.
Unfortunately, that focus seems to dissolve toward the end of the album, abandoning drive in favor of sing-along pop songs. Of course, that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with sing-along pop — there’s not. And Rilo Kiley is nothing if not lovable.
The songs beg attention and are all well-thought-out and constructed, but seem lacking in the meaning and analysis that songs like “The Good That Won’t Come Out” and “The Execution of All Things” demand. It is unfortunate that the punch of the album falls so close to the outset.
On the whole, Execution of All Things is another impressive showing by a band that warrants close attention. Rilo Kiley finds a sound distinct from today’s pop offerings, placing it head and shoulders above other new acts in the field.
Rilo Kiley’s talent is evident, and the prospect of future releases should elicit anticipation from discerning listeners.
