Knock Me Over, Rilo Kiley

I used to be a lot better at spotting up and coming bands, as my friends who know I was into Wilco before most people were can tell you. So I'm a little upset at myself for not knowing more about Rilo Kiley until last year.

I've heard a lot about them, my friends told me about them, yadda yadda yadda. So the first thing I do is go out and buy the solo album by their lead singer, Jenny Lewis - which is not the same thing as Rilo Kiley at all.

Anyhoo, I'm entranced by "Silver Lining," the lead-off song on the band's latest disc, "Under The Blacklight" (not a bad song either). A little poppy, really catchy, ought to be a bigger hit, but their songs are a little too subversive for mainstream taste. Or at least that's my take. Though I hear the current album is a little too well-produced compared to their older stuff. That's a problem the White Stripes don't have, but I'm pretty interested in hearing more

New Colors For The White Stripes

So I've been listening to the White Stripes' latest album, "Icky Thump," and I'm wondering how much longer these guys can beat the one-trick pony act.

Don't get me wrong. I think the Stripes are fun as hell and marvel at how many variations on a simple form - loud blues-metal and pounding drums - they can devise. With this disc, however, they've used everything from bagpipes to Mexicali horns to leaven the recipe, and unless the next disc burnishes a new Jack White yen for steel guitar, I'm not sure where they go next.

One hint may be found on the new disc's second song, "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told). Sounds like Jack's got a hankering for good 1970s-era, guilty-pleasure AM pop, a la The Raspberries, Andy Gibb and Leo Sayer. You'll find more of this on "Broken Boy Soldiers," the disc he put out with The Raconteurs. I'm telling you, it's in there