Under the Blacklight Grade: B-

After more than a year of solo artist-dom, Jenny Lewis reunited with her indie-pop band mates to release Under the Blacklight, their first album under a major record label, which is the first of many problems. Fans were spoiled by Lewis' 2006 solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat -- with her soulful voice and powerful lyrics -- so it seems Under the Blacklight is far too polished and overwhelming for her sweet vocals. \nIt's overloaded with funky electronic additions, distracting from the sheer emotion that echoes in Lewis' voice and lyrics both in her solo album and past Rilo Kiley albums. The band's 2004 album, More Adventurous, seemed to flow perfectly between the tracks, with Lewis' voice shining through, evoking every emotion humanly possible -- a large detail that is missing from the latest release. The lyrics leave little to interpretation and, simply put, Under the Blacklight is too black and white -- excuse the pun. Many of the songs have recurring themes of prostitution, the hard life and even pedophilia (ahem: "He was deep like a graveyard. She was ripe as a peach. And how could he have known that she was only 15?" from the aptly titled "15"). \nThere are a few strong tracks, including the deceptively bouncy and cheerful "Breakin' Up," about seeing the light at the end of a relationship, while simultaneously referring to a bad cell-phone reception. "Silver Lining" is upbeat and one of the better Lewis vocals, with the chilling line "I never felt so wicked, as when I willed our love to die." The first single "The Moneymaker" is a cool-sounding song that essentially repeats itself over and over again, but is quite catchy. \nThat's another thing: the repetition. Almost every song repeats the chorus over and over again -- there are less lyrics and more chorus. Not to mention the three separate songs that mention graveyards and "Dejalo" -- a Latin-inspired, fast tune that doesn't seem to fit anywhere into the Rilo Kiley spectrum. \nThis is not to say Under the Blacklight is a bad album. It's more of an acquired taste. Even though Blacklight obscures Lewis' raw voice with lavish production, it's brave and exciting for the band to explore new territories. There is a reason the band's so beloved by its fans: simplicity. Under the Blacklight is a little too complicated.