Donnerstag, 28. Feb 2008, 1:36

It's been quite a while since I did my first Top 11 list, so I felt that it was time to write another one. This time I'm tackling Rilo Kiley, and while their songs weren't quite as hard to sort through and choose from as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were, I still feel like I'm having to leave several songs that I absolutely love on the cutting room floor. So, without further ado, I present my 11 all-time favorite Rilo Kiley songs.

11. More Adventurous
A great song from the very beginning. How can you resist that harmonica and Jenny's opening lyrics?

And it's only doubts that we're counting
On fingers broken long ago

10. Accidntel Deth
This one slowly grew on me, but now it's not odd for me to wake up with it playing in my head. The verse about Jenny's father and the deer is golden.

9. Emotional (Until Crickets Guide You Back)
My years of searching for new Rilo Kiley tunes between More Adventurous and the release of Under the Blacklight led me to a few gems, including this one. In my opinion, this song serves as sort of a bridge between the distinct sounds of those two albums.

8. With Arms Outstretched
This song seems virtually designed to be heard live, but unfortunately it wasn't one of the songs they performed in New Orleans. It's completely impossible to not sing along to this song, as you can hear on the album version :)

7. The Good that Won't Come Out
Another song with a fantastic beginning (I'm a huge fan of strong song intros). The fantastic beginning eventually swells into an equally fantastic ending. One of their deepest and most heartbreaking songs.

6. Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight that Surrounds You
I love this song because it's so un-Rilo Kiley. It doesn't really remind me of any of their other music. Or anyone else's. Good stuff.

5. A Better Son/Daughter
I'm not so sure that this song is about bipolar disorder, sounds to me like it's about any normal person with issues, problems with the parents, lots of shitty days, and a hearty helping of good ol' anxiety. It actually end pretty uplifting song, IMHO. The last 2:58 are sublime.

4. Silver Lining
I love the song and I love the video. I always use Silver Lining to introduce new people to Rilo Kiley, because I genuinely cannot imagine someone not liking this song, no matter what their musical inclination is. The best track on Under the Blacklight by far.

3. Don't Deconstruct
The first Rilo Kiley song that I absolutely fell in love with. Is that a horn used throughout the song, or a trumpet? Either way, horn/trumpet = win. Colors seem darker in light? Yes, that is definitely not a good sign.

2. Pictures of Success
I clearly remember the very first time I heard this song. It was winter 2005, and I was walking back from class to my dorm room one morning with a magazine in one hand and coffee in the other. I stayed outside the dorm and listened to this song twice on my iPod before I could go inside :)

These are times that can't be weathered and
We have never been back there since then

1. A Man/Me/Then Jim
Three stories, one inevitable ending…the slow fade of love. My favorite Rilo Kiley song, ever.