So it seems like the theme this week is my favorite women in indie rock. Let’s just move on down the line, then. Next up: Jenny Lewis, the lead singer of Rilo Kiley. She was a vegan for a long time and drinks lots of Kombucha. So that’s pretty awesome.
But let’s face facts. If you’re reading this, you probably already know who Jenny Lewis is, since she’s like the biggest thing in indie rock these days. In fact, she dominated the field in Stereogum’s “Miss Indie Rock” Poll last year, single-handedly taking in almost a third of the votes.
I have to say, the Jenny Lewis Phenomenon is a little strange sometimes. If you’ll pardon the digression…
The thing is, people love her. I mean, they really love her, far beyond what I perceive to be her actual talents (substantial as they are).
To understand, the important thing to remember is that we’re dealing with hip indie kids. They consider themselves to be far cooler and less superficial than the masses. They scoff at the adoration for modern pop stars, all obviously chosen because they look good in front of a camera, not because of any musical talent, artistic sense, or lyrical ability. “We’re so much different” they say.
So they’re a little uncomfortable with the fact that a big part of what’s appealing about her (and her music) is sex. It’s not just that she is very pretty – it’s also that a lot of her songs (for Rilo Kiley a little more than her solo work) are very upfront in their discussion of sex. And, beyond all that, her voice is magnetic, rapturous. It’s not sensual in an overwhelming sense (that would be far too obvious), but it’s carefree and insouciant. She sounds just real enough that you can imagine her as a real person. And, while she is pretty, she’s not drop-dead gorgeous in a classical sense. Once again, the important thing is that she’s ideal because she’s beautiful, but not too beautiful.
All of which means that she occupies a strange space in the indie rock consciousness. She is in the blurry zone between, on the one hand, being so beautiful and perfect as to be unattainable, and on the other, seeming like a real, live human being. So, I think, there is a lot of guilt in the crowd of indie boys who love her. They don’t want to accept that sex is a big part of that adoration, because it runs counter to the indie-ideal.
But the not-so-hidden secret is that, while we all want to meet a girl who reads Tolstoy, is into Neutral Milk Hotel, and wants to watch Northern Exposure, we also want her to be pretty. Sure, it’s a different kind of beauty. Glasses are hip, blond is SO mainstream, and the whole concept of $300 shoes is anathema. But while the superficial stuff is a little more muted, it’s still lurking.
So we hear constant admonitions to stop talking with how she looks, and instead to focus on how talented she is. Which is perfectly reasonable. Because she is enormously talented. I’ve already talked about her voice, which is great, but she also writes amazing songs, along a fairly wide spectrum of musical styles.
That said, sometimes it seems like people are a little too effusive. Like maybe the elephant in the room of her physical attractiveness makes them overcompensate in singing her other praises. A case in point is the reaction to her new solo album Rabbit Fur Coat.
It is a fairly typical solo album – not particularly different than her work with Rilo Kiley, more an excursion into Americana than a sign of any fundamental shift. It’s pleasant, and at times provides an excellent vehicle for her voice. Still, it suffers from a problem that many encounter when they make their country-influenced solo record – it feels affected. Part of what makes country and soul music so good is that they really dig deep into the human soul. That’s not to say you have to write “serious” songs for your music to be any good, but for the album to really do what it’s meant to do, I think it would have to get more into the nitty-gritty. As it is, it’s just a regular indie album stripped down to acoustic guitars, with a little not-quite-Southern twang and a few country cliches (God, the Devil, love, etc.).
It’s not a bad album at all, but it’s also nothing groundbreaking. It’s a pleasant diversion. But to see people write about it, you’d think The Beatles had reunited or Janis Joplin had risen from the grave to release one last album. Comparisons to Loretta Lynn are rampant. People are declaring it one of the best albums they’ve ever heard. We are ordered to purchase it immediately!
It just makes me wonder if the “I love Jenny Lewis” thing may have gotten a little out of hand. All that said, I can still sympathize. I really WANTED this album to be fantastic because (of course) I have my own secret crush on her, and was hoping for a record that would bowl me over. It didn’t turn out that way, but maybe it still works for other folks. Who knows?
I guess my point here is that I think it would be a lot more honest, when discussing all of these enormously talented female musicians, to recognize that sex appeal is part of the equation. It’s okay to have a crush on them because they’re pretty. There’s no need to pretend that we’re objective and distant.
Anyway, amateur indie-pysch hour is over. Now I can gush about a couple Rilo Kiley songs that demonstrate why I’m in love with her…
Portions for Foxes
This song just flat-out rocks. It’s a car ride on a sunny day, or just about anything else fun you could imagine. It bursts out at you, knocks you over with the guitar riff. If there was any doubt about my earlier statement that sex is a big part of some Rilo Kiley songs, this one should dispel that. It’s a song about physical (and emotional) need, the joy of another person, and the realization that we’re all a little lonely, all a little messed up, and maybe that’s just okay.
“I know I’m alone if I’m with or without you
but just being around you offers me another form of relief
When the loneliness leads to bad dreams
and the bad dreams lead me to calling you
and I call you and say “C’MERE!”
It’s about every relationship that’s ever gone wrong, and a bunch of them that never were that good in the first place. But it’s also just a little hopeful. Maybe it’s just the fact that the song is so universal that flavors it with optimism – we all know how it feels, and that shared experience (and the knowledge that most people do find happiness one way or another) is a buoy. And at the end when she repeats “but you’re bad news” over and over before concluding “I don’t care I like you,” you realize that it might just be enough. There’s no perfection, but there is something to be said for just getting by.
Spectacular Views
If the last song is like a car ride on a sunny day, this one is like a rocket launch. It’s a huge, overwhelming song, surrounded by fireworks, and sweepingly anthemic. Her voice is less throaty – here it’s all wide-eyed innocence, full of light and joy, until about 2 and a half minutes in, when she sings:
“We can see the stars
from where the birds make their homes
staring back at us.
Indifferent,
but distanced perfectly,
projected endlessly.
It’s so fucking beautiful”
And on the last line, she just lets it all go. And in that moment, everything in the universe makes sense. That’s just all there is to it.
There’s a Rilo Kiley live show at Kwaya Na Kisser. In particular, I’d recommend the cover of “Let My Love Open the Door” to hear a little Blake Sennett, the other (sometimes) singer.