Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight

Listening to Under the Blacklight for the fifth time, it's no more possible to tell whether its influences are in tune with Shania Twain's brand of traditionalist-bating country pop or Fleetwood Mac's ethereal harmonising than it was on the first spin. Time and again, singer Jenny Lewis takes turns at trying both approaches on for size and achieves the feat of ramming both into one tune on early highlight Close Call; her voice meanders along breezily while the rest of Rilo Kiley strive to outdo Tom Petty's Heartbreakers with their trudging happy-go-lucky near-homage to the classic Mary Jane's Last Dance. Elsewhere, the music remains staunchly mid tempo, though toward the end some token schmaltzy electro beats struggle to take hold, like a diluted afterthought. All in, this heady concoction of cheery chimes and downtrodden tales of vice and betrayal carries an elusive charm that even the hounding spirit of Shania can't mess with. Thank fuck. [Johnny Langlands]