Rolling Stone (p.66) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's yet more adventurous, a prosperous band's challenge to its comfortable cult..."
Rolling Stone (p.108) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "The big, bright pop-rock record these ex-indie-rockers always had in them..."
Spin (p.131) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "They're too wily to settle for cheeky synth-pop pastiche....The former child actress heartily gives herself over to a variety of roles..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.130) - "There are inspired moments, like the bouncy cross-country kiss-off 'Breakin' Up' and the soaring brass of the Dusty Springfield-esque '15.'"
Uncut (p.78) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Ms. Lewis has jettisoned the loose and scratchy indie sketches for the warm immediacy of classic black pop music -- Motown and Stax especially -- to get her thoughts across....A quality album chock-full of what we used to call hits."
Q (Magazine) (p.82) - Ranked #17 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "[S]ome of their best songs to date..."
Initial pressings include a bonus CD.
L.A.'s cuddliest indie-rockers go for the gold on their fourth album and major-label debut. The warm and fuzzy country/folk-inflected sound that made Rilo Kiley an underground sensation is shunted aside in favor of a more radio-friendly approach. This stylistic expansion encompasses everything from lite-funk grooves and soul horns to New Wave synths and crunchy, chugging guitar riffs. The album-closer, "Give a Little Love," sounds like some alternate-reality mash-up of Beyonce and 10,000 Maniacs, with its skittering drum loops and R&B/pop flavor.
None of this is to say that indie heartthrob Jenny Lewis and cohorts have become either the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Hillary Duff; there are a couple of tracks that still hark back to the Rilo Kiley longtime fans know and love, and even the new directions keep the listener within walking distance of the band's initial aesthetic. Nevertheless, UNDER THE BLACKLIGHT is the sound of a word-of-mouth sensation expanding its reach and its grasp simultaneously and making its bid for household-name status.
