w/ Feist, The Brunettes, guest appearance by Deborah "Debbie" Gibson

[review]

from http://www.theredalert.com/reviews/rilokiley.htm

live in los angeles:

Rilo Kiley

Feist

The Brunettes

(Wiltern - June 19, 2005)

It’s good to be Jenny Lewis.  Gooood.  Her band, Rilo Kiley, has seen its profile grow substantially with each of their three albums.  They make unabashed entreaties to the mainstream and retain their hipster cred.  Freshly signed to Warner Brothers, they’ll soon be setting out to play bajillion-seat venues as an opener for a little band called Coldplay.  Ms. Lewis has a soulful solo album due out at the beginning of the next year (lest you give her the Stefani treatment, it should be noted that RK guitarist/sometime vocalist Blake Sennett has already busted a solo move as The Elected). 

Of course, it’s also sometimes bad to be Jenny Lewis, at least according to the litany of failed relationships, self-doubts and skepticisms that galvanize her songs.  Her bills may not be changing colors very often anymore (“Pictures of Success”), but even when vamping and striking all the right rock star moves in front of a couple thousand friends, she retains an Everywoman quality that is atypical both in the mainstream and in cult and critical circles (Gwen?  Beyonce?  Bjork?  Tori?  Joanna Newsom?  Cat Power?). 

In just three albums, Rilo Kiley have built an impressive and relatively diverse catalog.  Their signature sound is built on those flexible, full-of-feeling vocals from Lewis, who is comfortable both in quirky, laconic indie-rock and brassy torch songs.  Sennett, too, is a vital presence.  Even when they were playing in front of handfuls of people, he would leap into gleeful stadium-shaking riffs.  “He needs a bigger stage,” one may have thought at the time.  He’s got it now.  Enjoy these guys, Coldplay fans.

All the predicted high points were on display during Rilo Kiley’s spot-on set, although it would have been hard to anticipate the encore.  First, Deborah “Debbie” Gibson came out to lead the band in “Lost In Your Eyes.”  Then, everyone came out on stage for a congenial spin through “Let My Love Open The Door.”

The “everyone” in question consisted of much-buzzed about singer/songwriter Feist and a poppy seven-piece from New Zealand called The Brunettes.  First up, Heather Mansfield and Jonathan Bree led The Brunettes through a giddy collection of pop songs, featuring a mini-horn section and an array of instrumentation from the multitasking Mansfield.  Their songs are charming back-and-forths about the wacky ways of love.  Sometimes it sounds like they’re taking the piss out of retro pop music, other times it sounds like they’re paying homage; either way, they’re a delightful band on disc and just as much fun in person.  The Rilo Kiley crowd ate them up, reaffirming the belief that The Brunettes have the right sound, right look, right everything to make a nice-sized splash Stateside.

Feist forms the sturdiest branch of the Broken Social Scene tree.  Despite being sandwiched between two tight and lively bands, she kept the momentum up even when bringing the tempo down.  The Wiltern is a big space to fill with one voice and one guitar, but Feist silenced the audience and kept them focused on her jazzy, sultry, vaguely exotic singer/songwriter fare (despite exuding the cool that Americans normally associate with places like Paris and Reykjavik, she is in fact from Canada).   

— Adam McKibbin