Under the Blacklight
Encyclopedia
Under the Blacklight is the fourth and final full-length studio album
released by American alternative rock
band Rilo Kiley
. It was released on August 20, 2007, in the United Kingdom - three years and three days after the release of their third album, More Adventurous
. Warner Bros. Records
released the album one day later in the United States. "Silver Lining" was No. 27 on Rolling Stone
released Rabbit Fur Coat
while Blake Sennett
released Sun, Sun, Sun
with The Elected
.
The album was produced by the band with Jason Lader
and Mike Elizondo
. The first single to be released from the album was "The Moneymaker". The second single was "Silver Lining."
Several tracks from Blacklight were leaked in advance of the album's official release date. On August 17, 2007, the band started streaming the whole album on their MySpace page.
The album's jewel case is tinted purple, reminiscent of a blacklight. The album's covers and inlays were designed by Lewis and Pierre de Reeder, with photography by Autumn de Wilde. The liner notes
do not feature any song lyrics.
The band's first official major label debut features a number of guests musicians, including Jackson Browne
, Alex Greenwald
of Phantom Planet
and James Valentine
and Mickey Madden from Maroon 5
. However, the album credits do not state on which songs the guests appear.
Under the Blacklight debuted at number 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200
, selling about 27,000 copies in its first week.
On September 25, 2007, Rilo Kiley appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live
to perform "Dreamworld". "Dreamworld" was the first Rilo Kiley song to become popular in Russia
. In November 2007 it was added to the playlist of Maximum, one of the most popular stations in Russia.
"Breakin' Up" was heard at the end of the Grey's Anatomy season 4 episode "Forever Young". "The MoneyMaker" was used as the background music in promotional spots for Fox Network's "Canterbury's Law
" and a 2009 Carl's Jr.
ad featuring Audrina Patridge
. "15" was included in the "Clearance Sale" show of Season 3 of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio in April 2009.
comparisons. Critics praised the band's move into a newer sound, with Rolling Stone calling it "yet even more adventurous" (referring to the band's 2004 album More Adventurous
). However, the LP received mixed reviews from fans. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 32 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
A group of students produced a fan-made music video for the track "Breakin' Up" in the summer of 2008. It grew in popularity on YouTube
and has been favorited by the band's YouTube account. The video may be found here: 'Breakin' Up'
This album was #8 on Rolling Stone
s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
The "January/February 2008" issue of Blender Magazine named Under the Blacklight the tenth best album of 2007, referring to it as "an album of classically sleek, apocalyptic '70s L.A. coke-rock, in the fine Fleetwood Mac
and Steely Dan
tradition."
) except:
"Dreamworld" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom/Morgan Nagler (all BMI)
"Dejalo" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom (all BMI)/Point Longstreet Publishing (ASCAP)
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
released by American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
. It was released on August 20, 2007, in the United Kingdom - three years and three days after the release of their third album, More Adventurous
More Adventurous
More Adventurous is the third full length album released by Los Angeles based band Rilo Kiley. The album, released on August 17, 2004, marks a significant change in the band's sound with the goal of being "more adventurous" than their previous music...
. Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
released the album one day later in the United States. "Silver Lining" was No. 27 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Album history
The album marks the return of the band following individual solo projects. On January 24, 2006, Jenny LewisJenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
released Rabbit Fur Coat
Rabbit Fur Coat
Rabbit Fur Coat is an album by Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, featuring The Watson Twins. It was released in the United States on January 24, 2006 by Team Love. Lewis has described the album as a "sort of soul record". The album contains a cover of the Traveling Wilburys song "Handle With Care",...
while Blake Sennett
Blake Sennett
Blake Sennett is the lead guitarist for indie rock band Rilo Kiley and the lead singer/lead guitarist for his alt-rock side project the Elected. He was born as Blake Sennett Swendson in San Diego, California. He attended La Jolla High School with his Rilo Kiley bandmate Pierre De Reeder...
released Sun, Sun, Sun
Sun, Sun, Sun
Sun, Sun, Sun is the second album by indie band The Elected, released in 2006 by Sub Pop.-Track listing:#"Clouds Parting " – 0:44#"Would You Come with Me" – 2:50...
with The Elected
The Elected
The Elected are a Los Angeles-based indie rock band. The Elected have released two albums with Sub Pop: Me First in 2004, and Sun, Sun, Sun in 2006...
.
The album was produced by the band with Jason Lader
Jason Lader
Jason Lader is a bass guitarist, producer and mixer from USA known for his work with The Mars Volta and Furslide.- As Producer :Albums2007*Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long*Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight2008...
and Mike Elizondo
Mike Elizondo
Michael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
. The first single to be released from the album was "The Moneymaker". The second single was "Silver Lining."
Several tracks from Blacklight were leaked in advance of the album's official release date. On August 17, 2007, the band started streaming the whole album on their MySpace page.
The album's jewel case is tinted purple, reminiscent of a blacklight. The album's covers and inlays were designed by Lewis and Pierre de Reeder, with photography by Autumn de Wilde. The liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
do not feature any song lyrics.
The band's first official major label debut features a number of guests musicians, including Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, Alex Greenwald
Alex Greenwald
Alexander Greenwald is an American musician, actor, and more recently a record producer. He is best known as the lead singer of the Californian rock band, Phantom Planet, which is on indefinite hiatus according to a blog posting on the band's official website.-Life and career:Greenwald was born in...
of Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet are an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, the band consists of Alex Greenwald , Darren Robinson , Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad . The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series,...
and James Valentine
James Valentine (musician)
James Valentine is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the pop rock group Maroon 5.-Early life:...
and Mickey Madden from Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
. However, the album credits do not state on which songs the guests appear.
Under the Blacklight debuted at number 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling about 27,000 copies in its first week.
On September 25, 2007, Rilo Kiley appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
to perform "Dreamworld". "Dreamworld" was the first Rilo Kiley song to become popular in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In November 2007 it was added to the playlist of Maximum, one of the most popular stations in Russia.
"Breakin' Up" was heard at the end of the Grey's Anatomy season 4 episode "Forever Young". "The MoneyMaker" was used as the background music in promotional spots for Fox Network's "Canterbury's Law
Canterbury's Law
Canterbury's Law is an American legal drama, which ran from March 10, 2008 to April 18, 2008 as a mid-season replacement on Fox. The show was created by Dave Erickson and executive produced by Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, Walon Green, John Kane, and Mike Figgis, who also directed the pilot...
" and a 2009 Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. is an American fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Western and Southwestern United States. The first store has opened in Canada in Kelowna, BC. They are in the process of expanding to Mexico, Malaysia, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam,...
ad featuring Audrina Patridge
Audrina Patridge
Audrina Cathleen Patridge is an American reality television personality, actress, and model. She is known for being one of the four original primary cast members featured on the MTV reality series The Hills. She has also starred in the films Sorority Row and Into The Blue 2...
. "15" was included in the "Clearance Sale" show of Season 3 of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio in April 2009.
Critical Reception
Blacklight tells a dark story. It is "an album written about Los Angeles' sketchy side ... of characters starving for fame and fortune". It received generally positive reviews from the media. The album received many Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
comparisons. Critics praised the band's move into a newer sound, with Rolling Stone calling it "yet even more adventurous" (referring to the band's 2004 album More Adventurous
More Adventurous
More Adventurous is the third full length album released by Los Angeles based band Rilo Kiley. The album, released on August 17, 2004, marks a significant change in the band's sound with the goal of being "more adventurous" than their previous music...
). However, the LP received mixed reviews from fans. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 32 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
A group of students produced a fan-made music video for the track "Breakin' Up" in the summer of 2008. It grew in popularity on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and has been favorited by the band's YouTube account. The video may be found here: 'Breakin' Up'
This album was #8 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
The "January/February 2008" issue of Blender Magazine named Under the Blacklight the tenth best album of 2007, referring to it as "an album of classically sleek, apocalyptic '70s L.A. coke-rock, in the fine Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
and Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
tradition."
Track listing
Chart performance
| Chart (2007) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
86 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
52 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
34 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
22 |
| US Billboard Top Alternative Albums | 5 |
| US Billboard Top Digital Albums | 7 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Albums | 6 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | August 17, 2007 |
| United Kingdom | August 20, 2007 |
| United States | August 21, 2007 |
| Germany | August 24, 2007 |
Credits
All songs published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom (all BMIBroadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
) except:
"Dreamworld" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom/Morgan Nagler (all BMI)
"Dejalo" published by Deprecious Music/Wonderful Pony Music/Big Blue Boat Music/BB Lindstrom (all BMI)/Point Longstreet Publishing (ASCAP)
- Producers – Rilo Kiley, Jason Lader, Mike Elizondo
- Engineers – Brent Arrowood, Michael Bloom, Jedidiah Burtoft, Scott McKay Gibson, Danny Kalb, Bill Mims & Jason Mott
- Mixing – Jason Lader, Adam Hawkins
- Recording – Jason Lader, Adam Hawkins, Paul Dieter
- Mastering - Brian Gardner