Jenny Lewis

Fri 20th Mar, 2009 in Features

Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley have been making music for about seven years now. The records keep improving and the songs are truly catchy. The first thing that slapped me in my ear with Rilo Kiley was the voice of Ms. Lewis and the somewhat off-beat and acerbic lyrics. They had energy and that spark that set your mind alight and make you want to hear more.

We have gotten lots more with the 2007 release of Under The Blacklight by Rilo Kiley, the 2005 release of Rabbit Fur Coat with Jenny and The (glorious) Watson Twins and now the most recent release by Jenny, entitled Acid Tongue.

Of course if you knew her voice, you heard her all over Elvis Costello’s Momofuku from last year. I began to wonder more about this Jenny Lewis person. The more I listened I kept thinking that she had something special; something that is going to be displayed in her longevity. Simply, she is a good lyricist and collaborator and her creative instincts seem to be right on target.

Jenny was wandering around the desert outside of Palm Springs when she caught up with me, as she communed with the cacti, which she described as “friendly”. She has had a very busy run and was pleased to take some time out. But I was curious about that Rabbit Fur Coat she wore with The Watson Twins?

“I had accumulated a bunch of songs in between Rilo Kiley records and my friend Conor Oberst was starting up a record label [Saddle Creek] at the time. He approached me and asked me if I wanted to do a record. It had not really occurred to me yet, but in the back of my mind I always wanted to make a record paying tribute to Laura Nyro and Labelle and the record they made Gonna Take A Miracle. I had recorded with the twins on a Rilo Kiley song years and years ago. I kind of remembered doing that and I asked them to sing on a few songs with me and it turned into that record.”

The mix of songs here runs the gamut of pop, folk and gospel. The cover of The Traveling Wilbury’s Handle With Care is a stroke of genius. These female voices were joined by M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard. It is these personnel choices, turns of phrase and heavenly vocals that put this album in my top ten for 2005.

Now with Acid Tongue, we have an album that is almost – just almost – as good as Rabbit Fur Coat. The music is still sort of stuck in the – œ70s frame (in a good way). You can hear John Lennon in tracks like Godspeed and some rock – œn funk in the lengthy Next Messiah. Joining her in the studio were all kinds of friends from Chris Robinson to the man who seems to be running her fan club, Elvis Costello.

“We had the fabulous father/daughter drumming duo of Pete and Tennessee Thomas, and Elvis came down. My father plays on the record and my big sister came down too. Benji Hughes, who is an amazing singer songwriter from that great band Whispertown 2000, also joined in. Anyone who was in town came by and played and sang something.”

But how did this mutual adoration society of Elvis and Jenny come about?

“I could not believe it was happening while it was happening. I was in this netherworld of disbelief. He came in and recorded Carpetbaggers on my new record. Then we made his entire record together, Momfuku, with his band. In that time, we became close friends and I have been an admirer for such a long time. He is just a guy who is incredibly open and wants to learn about new music and will screw you about any record that you have ever heard in your life. He knows everything about music and when I found out he was doing a television show [about music] I was not surprised. He is such a musicologist.”

Jenny and Rilo Kiley have appeared on Costello’s new music programme, Spectacle, and I am sure there will be more collaboration in the future. They sound like they are made for each other lyrically and musically. I look forward to their record together at some point.

Jenny Lewis is excited about coming to Australia to play V Festival and support Snow Patrol for a few gigs. But will be getting a solo show while she is in our fair country?

“I would love to do a solo show while I am in Australia for the kids who have heard or known of Rilo Kiley for a while now. I will be working really hard to get it to happen, so you never know.”

Acid Tongue is out now on Rough Trade via Remote Control. Jenny Lewis plays V Festival around the country, as well as sideshows alongside Snow Patrol.