Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness x 2

In September of last year I wrote an entry celebrating the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, with a top-ten list of some of my favorite songs (Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness). The list and albums are below.

1. With Arms Outstretched, The Execution of All Things
2. Spectacular Views, The Execution of All Things
3. Portions for Foxes, More Adventurous
4. The Good That Won't Come Out, The Execution of All Things
5. I Never, More Adventurous
6. The Frug, The Initial Friend
7. It's a Hit, More Adventurous
8. A Better Son/Daughter, The Execution of All Things
9. A Man/Me/Then Jim, More Adventurous
10. More Adventurous, More Adventurous

I saw Rilo Kiley in concert for the first time last year at Terminal 5 in NYC where I took the really crappy picture to the left. My digital camera at the time, the Olympus D-595, really sucked at taking photos in low-lighting without the flash, and it was actually the extreme disappointment of failing to capture my favorite band live that prompted an investment in the sublime Nikon D80 Digital SLR. Beautiful, isn't it? Now I just have to wait for their next NYC concert so I can take some real photographs.

It's been more than six months since I was blown away their Terminal 5 performance, and since then, my obsession has grown. Their quirky lyrics and mellow musical stylings are perfect for my daily subway commutes and for looping on my iPhone during a long work week of data entry and graphic design.

I now own all of their CDs (with the exception of The Initial Friend, which is hard to come by), and my top-ten changes daily as their songs speak to me differently depending on my mood and state of mind. Which is why I must amend my original list by tacking on 15 more top songs, finally giving Take Offs and Landings the recognition it deserves.

*I was really tempted to put Accidntel Deth on this list, but it's a little too depressing for a top 25. An honorable mention goes to Bulletproof which, at 2 minutes, was just too short.*

Rilo Kiley - Another Top Ten and Then Five More:

1. Wires and Waves, Take Offs and Landings

And sometimes, planes, they smash up in the sky
And sometimes, lonely hearts, they just get lonelier
And lonelier, and lonelier, and lonelier

2. My Slumbering Heart, The Execution of All Things

And I've become just like a terrible mess
Searching the lines in my face for
Something more beautiful than is there
The crowds keep me coming back
Cheering

3. Breakin' Up, Under the Blacklight

Betrayal is a thorny crown
You wear it well
Just like a king
Revenge is the saddest thing
Honey, I'm afraid to say
You deserve everything

4. Plane Crash in C, Take Offs and Landings

How do you do it and make it seem effortless?
When it's all the stupid things, so overwhelming to me
Like paying my bills, or showing up for work early
Or laughing at your jokes

5. Absence of God, More Adventurous

And Rob says you love, love, love, and then you die
I've watched him while sleeping and seen him crying with closed eyes
And you're not happy but you're funny and I'm tripping over my joy
But I just keep on getting up again

6. Pictures of Success, Take Offs and Landings

I'm a modern girl, but I fold in half so easily
When I put myself in the picture of success
I could learn world trade or try to map the ocean

7. Paint's Peeling, The Execution of All Things

And oh, I'm not going back
To the assholes that made me a perfect display
Of random acts of hopelessness

8. The Execution of All Things, The Execution of All Things

And if you’re well off,
Well then I’m happy some for you
But I’d rather not celebrate my defeat and humiliation
Here with you

9. Capturing Moods, The Execution of All Things

And I don’t mind waiting if it takes a long, long time
I don’t mind braving the coldest winter of our time
I don’t mind racing through our goodbyes

10. Silver Lining, Under the Blacklight

And I was your silver lining, as the story goes
I was your sliver lining, but now I'm gold

11. August, Take Offs and Landings

Someday we'll meet beyond the stars
And it'll be away from here
Someday we'll meet beyond the time and the bars
And it'll be away from here

12. Always, Take Offs and Landings

I should've known with a boy like you
Your middle name is Always
I'd always love you

13. Science Vs. Romance, Take Offs and Landings

I used to think
If I could realize I'd die
Then I would be a lot nicer
Used to believe
In a lot more

14. Three Hopeful Thoughts, Execution of All Things

And the hero that you'd hoped you'd be
Never seemed to show up
And if I can keep on talking
There won't be time to give up

15. Go Ahead, Take Offs and Landings

If you want to find yourself by traveling out west
Or if you want to find somebody else that's better
Go ahead

Nick and Norah's Infinite Night Out

My trip last weekend to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was my first movie theater outing since catching Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight back in July (there just hasn't been much of interest this movie season). I didn't feel a need to write a review on The Dark Knight as it has been done to death, and I hardly have anything new to offer.

My review in two sentences? The Dark Knight is a heavy-hitting epic that tries to fit too many subplots into one overarching story while misusing the talented Maggie Gyllenhaal and overusing Christian Bale's "Batman voice". But Heath Ledger's brilliant performance as the uber-villainous Joker more than makes up for the film's over-abundance of story and 150+ min running time.


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is, of course, a film of an entirely different color ...

In this indie flick, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings play two awkward teens looking for love as they hook up on a whirlwind night out in New York City in search of their favorite band's unannounced concert. Michael Cera, best known for his role in Arrested Development and the recent hits Juno and Superbad, plays the usual - an awkward, but ultimately lovable geek named Nick whose sarcastic, straight-man nature is at odds with the craziness around him. Nick may be the one driving Dennings's character Norah around the city, but it's ultimately Norah who is giving Nick the ride of his life.

Nick and Norah are likable enough as far as indie outcasts go, but just as Dennings is no Ellen Page, Nick and Norah is no Juno. The film is uneven at best - inspired comedic bits and romantic yearnings are tousled up with complete randomness (Nick's ex does a sexy dance??!!), and the general yawner premise - there's a concert, and it's going to be awesome, but, like no one knows where it is!!

With the words "Infinite Playlist" making up 2/5ths of the title, I really expected more of a focus on the music, or at the very least, a memorable soundtrack. Zach Braff's Garden State not only had THE soundtrack of the year, but also the defining song of the film, "New Slang" by The Shins, highlighted when Natalie Portman's character, Sam, insists, "You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."

There's no transcendent music moment in Infinite Playlist and not even an explanation as to why the film's fictional band Where's Fluffy is even worth tracking down across a city of 10 million people for an eventual "secret" 4am concert. The importance of the music and the concert in Nick and Norah's budding romance falls flat without a real band, or at the very least, real songs to tie it all together.

The highlight of the film is definitely the exploits of Norah's wasted friend Caroline, played with great comic zeal by Ari Graynor who stumbles (with her gum) from scene to scene in a daze. Nick and Norah spend half their night trying to track Caroline down, and Graynor's performance is so spot-on, that you understand why Norah bothers to be her designated safe commute home. She's a drunk mess, but at least she's fun.

*6/10*

Rilo Kiley = Awesomeness

I was first introduced to the indie rock band Rilo Kiley in 2003. My freshman year roommate had this annoying tendency to play their song "The Frug" several times every morning - on a loop. I wasn't particularly fond of said roommate and our relationship ended six weeks later when I got the hell out of there, switching dorm rooms, and never looking back. I thought I would end up loathing "The Frug" simply out of spite, but the song was just charming enough, just winsome enough to stay with me over the years.

I was reintroduced to the band in 2004 when I came across their animated and Lite-Brite-tastic music video for "It's a Hit" on AtomFilms. That song and a handful of others joined my playlist and slowly started taking over, climaxing in my own Rilo Kiley loop of songs from all of their CDs (except for Take Offs and Landings which I tragically haven't gotten around to purchasing yet).

There's something undeniably lovable about the band and their music, and it's not just lead singer Jenny Lewis's utter adorableness or her saccharine and sultry vocals.


I've always been a fan of singer Jewel, both as a poet and a performer. I love that she really says something in her lyrics, speaking from her heart and from an idyllic, universal human perspective. Rilo Kiley's songs move me in a similar way, although their lyrics are much less straight-forward. I love the way they string ideas and imagery together, seemingly at random, before throwing them out at the audience to take and make something personal out of them.

And another thing to love? Well, if you grew up in the early '90s like I did, you probably grew up loving half of the Rilo Kiley crew without even knowing it. Both Jenny Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett (aka: Blake Soper) are former child stars, Sennett of Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World fame, and Lewis as Shelley Long's daughter in one of my personal favorites, the campy 80s classic, Troop Beverly Hills. And for Buffy fans - Blake also appeared as witch Michael Czajak in the third season episode, "Gingerbread".



I saw Rilo Kiley live for the first time in June at Terminal 5 and they were fantastic; so full of energy and enthusiasm, it was a full week before I got over the disappointment of having to listen to their albums again. But no worries - I made a full recovery.

My Top Ten Rilo Kiley:

1. With Arms Outstretched

Now some days they last longer than others
But this day by the lake went too fast
And if you want me
You better speak up, I won't wait
So you better move fast

2. Spectacular Views

See the stars from where the birds make their homes
Staring back at us
Indifferent but distanced perfectly, projected endlessly
It's so fucking beautiful

3. Portions for Foxes

I know I'm alone if I'm with or without you
But just being around you offers me another form of relief
When the loneliness leads to bad dreams
And the bad dreams lead me to calling you
And I call you and say, "C'MERE!"

4. The Good That Won't Come Out

It's all of the good that won't come out of them
And all the stupid lies they hide behind
It's such a big mistake
Standing here on this frozen lake

5. I Never

And I'm afraid habits rule my waking life
I'm scared and I'm running in my sleep
For you
But all the oceans and rivers and showers
Will wash it all away and make me clean for you

6. The Frug

And I can hate your girl
I can tell you that she's real pretty
I can take my clothes off
I cannot fall in love

7. It's a Hit

Ah, but the pardons never come from upstairs
They're always a moment too late
But it's entertainment
Keep the crowd on their toes
It's justice, we're safe
It's not a hit, it's a holiday
Shoo bop, shoo bop, my baby

8. A Better Son/Daughter

And your ship may be coming in
You’re weak but not giving in
And you’ll fight it
You’ll go out fighting all of them

9. A Man/Me/Then Jim

"Diana, Diana, Diana, I would die for you
I'm in love with you completely
I'm afraid that's all I can do"
She said, "You can sleep upon my doorstep
You can promise me indifference, Jim
But my mind's made up
And I'll never let you in again"

10. More Adventurous

I've been trying to nod my head
But it's like I've got a broken neck
Wanting to say I will as my last testament
For me to be saved and you to be brave
We don't have to walk down that aisle
Because if marriage ain't enough
Well, at least we'll be loved

Juno, Classic Indie Charmer

Like Napoleon Dynamite in 2004 and Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, Juno (2007) is the little independent film that could, chugging up from oblivion and into the hearts of millions of movie goers across the nation. In classic indie fashion, Juno's slice of (slightly surreal) life is filled with quirky characters, off-beat dialogue, and a 1:1 ratio of pop culture references to minute of film.

It's impressive that an indie film about a pregnant teenager who decides to give her baby up for adoption has managed to garner major attention via word of mouth and critical acclaim, racking up a total of four Academy Award nominations (a tie with Little Miss Sunshine in 2007) - Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. How did this film, and others like it, manage to sneak past the Hollywood blockbusters and billion-dollar film franchises to infiltrate popular culture and eventually, DVD collections everywhere?

It's fun to root for the underdog, especially when the underdog is funny and charming.

In the title role, Ellen Page is a classic indie heroine: a witty fast-talker (ala Gilmore Girls), oozing with conviction, and so overflowing with cutesy colloquial slang that you're sure she's likely to burst, and not just from the baby. Yet even as she's smugly pimped out on the lawn of her would-be boyfriend, reclining in an arm chair with a pipe in hand, Page reveals Juno's vulnerability as she falters, unsure what to do and say next. She may be clever and she may be cocky, but she's just as three-dimensional as the rest of us - overwhelmed and insecure; a teenage girl who doesn't know who the hell she really is.

As a film, Juno is fairly down to earth, sticking to the feel-good comedy genre and shying away from the potential melodramatic plot lines that run amuck in most Hollywood/Lifetime "My Baby is Having a Baby" productions. The supporting cast is strong, with plenty of laughs to go around, although Ellen Page is the real standout. Some of the colloquial slang and euphemisms are fun, but Juno and her best friend Leah drop so many of them in "casual" conversation that it can be overwhelming. No real teenager talks like that all the time, no matter who they are trying to impress.

The film's most underplayed relationship, and perhaps one most deserving of recognition, is Juno and Leah's friendship. Leah is there for Juno from the beginning, acting as her confidant, passing no judgment, and supporting her through school lunches, ultrasounds, and the birth. High school can be especially hard for teenage girls (pregnant or not), and it's refreshing to see a character who actually does stick up for her best friend, despite the established peer rejection and Juno's pariah status. While Juno may be lucky to get her guy in the end, she's just as lucky to have a friend she can rely on, through pregnancy and beyond.

*8/10*