Rilo Kiley - 'Under The Blacklight' - Hello. I'm a cool person. I scour the internet for leaked albums on a minute-by-minute basis. I don't give a really smug fuck whether it's supposed to be good or not because I must hear everything so that I can be really cool when I slag it off on some internet message boards. I don't give a shit about having an informed opinion, as long I'm one of the first and one of the most outrageous. Man, this Rilo Kiley record is a big bag of wank. Jeez, this sucks out loud. OR. I've played this album four times now, and I'm genuinely loving it more and more with each play. It's a pop/soul record with a hint of country, in all the right ways. There's an almost camp disco number, a few funkier pop tracks and some truly soulful tunes that demonstrate just how spellbinding Jenny Lewis' voice is. The lyrics aren't always amazing, but it's not something Rilo Kiley were previously known for. Provided you enjoy quality pop and soul, alongside whatever other genres, ignore the trendy muppets and give this record a shot.
Magnolia Electric Co - 'Sojourner' - As I think I've already said, this is a beautifully presented set that gathers together four different recording sessions offering the different faces of Jason Molina's musical persona. Excellent value for money and a nice split between bluesy rock and contemplative, eerie solo pieces.
Emitt Rhodes - 'Emitt Rhodes' - It's his debut that's doing the business for me right now, after I finally got a decent vinyl copy through in the post. To sample his rather excellent wares you need only go back to this post. Often described as like early solo Macca, I would argue that he's even less smug. Genuinely beautiful pop songs, recorded at home and delightfully murky records that just bung everything together and ooze melody. Hard to describe him, but I'm starting to think he ranks right up there in terms of 'perfect pop writers' with the afore-mentioned Macca, Motown's H-D-H, the Pet Shop Boys and Neil Finn.
Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:
The X Factor - Definitely in the 'non' section this one. Is it me, or is Dermot not especially fond of spending his time standing around outside the main audition room waiting for the contestants to come out? Almost every time one of the utter loonies who go in for this show came out weeping and losing the plot, he was nowhere to be seen. Still, nice to know that there's no risk of Kate Thornton popping up at any point. The first show seemed to lack some of the zip of previous series. Naturally I'll waste an hour every week from here on, but I expect better.
House - Mmmmm. What a conclusion to the third season. The final two episodes air this coming Thursday on Five and the penultimate show features a chess-playing teenager with a serious attitude problem. But that's not really the main issue. Foreman's leaving and he's only got a couple of weeks left. Will he stay? Will he go? If you're a fan of this drama then I'm sure you're gripped by recent events, and if you're not, see previous posts about how best to remedy this. Advance warning for the season finale that will air straight after the normal timeslot at 10pm this Thursday. A great episode that has a very neat approach to the necessary end of season cliffhanger. Why Five have felt the need to give away loads of the plot in the advert, I'll never know.
Harry Thompson - 'Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World' - I don't feature books often enough on here. The Tom Waits biog by Patrick Humphries is a great read, by the way. Anyway, this is a delightful tale of whimsy and comical endeavour told with wit, charm and humility. Yes, cricket is the central theme, but it's essentially stories about friends getting into various situations and dealing with the shit that everyday life throws up. If you want something to keep you smirking, without requiring a huge amount of intellectual perspiration then this is for you. 
