Rilo Kiley

Where They’re From: Los Angeles, CA

Who They Are: Singers and songwriters Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett connected on the Hollywood scene of the late 90s, forming Rilo Kiley as a way to make lo-fi country-informed music on the side of their acting careers. As time went on, music became their primary gig, and their sound progressed into lush and emotive rock and roll reminiscent of The Velvet Underground and Fleetwood Mac. With lyrics about distant childhood memories and the disorienting experience of life in turbulent post-millennial America, The Execution of All Things cemented Rilo Kiley’s prominence on the indie scene of the early 00s. Its bigger and bolder followup More Adventurous saw Lewis’ star rising as a solo artist; she went on to release several solo and collaborative albums, while Sennett made his own music in the Sub Pop band The Elected.

Years Active: 1998 – 2010

Essential Albums: The Execution of All Things (2002), More Adventurous (2004)