Day 05 - Rilo Kiley
We have reached day five in the inaugural installment of the Song Solstice series, with the feature being a track by indie band Rilo Kiley. Read forth to see what the hell I have to say about them and the song I decided upon!
In
the USA in the early 90s, I used to watch shows on the cable channel Nickelodeon. One
of them was a little show called Salute Your Shorts, which followed
the antics of kids at their summer camp, Camp Annawanna. (Read: Camp
I Don't Wanna. lol) I loved this show enough to record it on the VCR,
tapes of which I still have somewhere. I relate this because, many
years ago now, I decided to search online to find out whatever
happened to everyone who was on the show. One of the characters came
along in the second and final season of the show: the suave and
popular Ronnie Pinsky, played by Blake Soper. In my research, I found
that that last name was a stage name and his name was actually Blake
Sennett, and he was part of the band Rilo Kiley with fellow child
actor Jenny Lewis. Well, damn! lol Of course, I needed to find out
more about this band and around the interwebs I went.
The
first song I heard was a track called “Portions For Foxes”,
really digging it as I listened. Of course, I didn't have funds to
buy albums, so I found songs via one of the downloader softwares of
the day and acquired some tracks. One of these was today's featured
track, “Paint's Peeling”.
This song is one of my top faves
on it's parent album, The Execution Of All Things, which is a fab
album that is worth taking the time to sit with (sooo many great
songs...). With interesting and intelligent lyrics, lovely vocals,
and guitar crunch in just the right spots, this song is honestly a
great introduction track to the band. I feel like it has so much of
what made the band great: wit, humor, and intelligence interlaced
inside great vocals and music to get your brain and body moving.
I got into Rilo Kiley just in time for the release of what would end up as their last album as a band. Although I understand, I am a bit bummed that things had to go as they did. I'm glad they're all doing what floats their own boats now, though, and that we have all the awesome music left behind to revel in.
The songwriting of “Paint's Peeling” really is brilliant, and I love the way Jenny's vocals lay across the flowing river of music beneath... It is yet another one of those songs I wish more people were aware of. Please do give it a listen, and may you find your Rilo Kiley appreciation (if you don't have it already, that is).
Lyrics
The paint's peeling off the streets
again
and I'll drive and close my eyes in Michigan.
And I feel
nothing, not brave.
It's a hard day for breathing again...
and I'll drive and close my eyes in Michigan.
And I feel nothing, not brave.
It's a hard day for breathing again...
The heat
is chasing off all of your friends
and their scattered bodies part
to the shore again.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It's a hard day
for dreaming again.
I'm not going back to the assholes that
made me,
and the perfect display of random acts of hopelessness.
I
wish I could stay here, but I think we're all ready.
I think we're
all ready...
And I feel nothing, not safe.It's a hard day for
dreaming again...
Now that you've seen almost all of America,
all
you can say is, "where is all the water?"
The war has
been over for years since you gave up.
Last night, where the
road had started,
and last night, when my hands were choking
you.
Last night, when the room and your mood was dipping,
and
last night when the ropes were pulling you in...
You said, "Hey,
how could you love me this way?"
You said, "Hey, I think
we're ready..."I think we're all ready.
and their scattered bodies part to the shore again.
And I feel nothing, not sane.
It's a hard day for dreaming again.
I'm not going back to the assholes that made me,
and the perfect display of random acts of hopelessness.
I wish I could stay here, but I think we're all ready.
I think we're all ready...
And I feel nothing, not safe.
Now that you've seen almost all of America,
all you can say is, "where is all the water?"
The war has been over for years since you gave up.
Last night, where the road had started,
and last night, when my hands were choking you.
Last night, when the room and your mood was dipping,
and last night when the ropes were pulling you in...
You said, "Hey, how could you love me this way?"
You said, "Hey, I think we're ready..."
Official Site | Bandcamp | Wikipedia
Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music
Disclaimer: All photo, music, lyrics, video, and artwork copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Photos, videos, and lyrics used for reference and informational purposes.
Photos, videos, and lyrics used for reference and informational purposes.
I'm not being paid by them to write this. I'm not a journalist or anything. I just love music.
(Posted on 26th June 2024, backdated to 5th June 2024.)
