Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band which formed in 1998 in Los Ange… Read Full Bio ↴Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band which formed in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar), Blake Sennett (vocals, guitar), Pierre de Reeder (bass, keyboards) and Jason Boesel (drums).

Lewis and Sennett are former child actors and were introduced to each other by Tara Subkoff, a mutual friend, in 1993. In 2001, original drummer Dave Rock left the band and was replaced by Boesel.

They began their career on Barsuk Records, releasing Take Offs And Landings in 2001. They moved to Omaha-based indie label Saddle Creek for their second album, 2002's The Execution of All Things. But come time for their third release, More Adventurous in 2004, the band left Saddle Creek for Brute/Beaute, a Warner Bros. imprint.

2004 saw a great increase in recognition for the band, as Sennett and Boesel released an album with their band The Elected and Lewis sang backup on Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab For Cutie) indie electronic side project The Postal Service. Lewis toured with The Postal Service before heading out on two tours in support of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous in the summer and fall of 2004. The album spent late 2004 high on Billboard Magazine's Heatseekers Chart, success only furthered by appearances on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The band opened for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst's tour for 2005's i'm wide awake, it's morning. In Fall 2005, Rilo Kiley were the opening act for the North American dates of Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour.

Lewis released her first solo album in January of 2006, with Leigh and Chandra Watson as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. The album, entitled Rabbit Fur Coat, was co-produced by Clifford M Ward and Mike Mogis. Furthermore, The Elected released their second album, sun, sun, sun on the same day as Lewis' album.

The 4th Rilo Kiley LP, Under the Blacklight, was released in August 2007. This has a more pop-influenced sound and received mixed reviews.

The band broke up in 2011 after vague statements made by Blake Sennett comparing the band to a "corpse" and referring to disagreements among members.

Small Figures in a Vast Expanse
Rilo Kiley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let's try a new change
Let's try a new change
Let's try a new change
Then we'll go on back to the old one
Like we've done so many times before

And I'll buy a new brain
I'll buy a new brain

You'll administer new pain
Then we'll go on back to our old school
That we left so many times before
And you'll ask for more and more

I've just begun a new phase
I'm trying these days
I've watched you close
I'm versed in all your ways
I'm just beginning to realize
I'll get you one of these days

But in the end
If it was all pretend
Isn't that what friends are for?
But this is real life
It's supposed to be real life
So let's pretend that we're not bored

That we exist and that we're resolved
To real things happening to me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rilo Kiley's "Small Figures in a Vast Expance" is a reflection on the human tendency to try new things, only to eventually revert back to our old ways. The repetition of "Let's try a new change" emphasizes the desire for change, but the following lines of "Then we'll go on back to the old one/Like we've done so many times before" highlights our inability to break free from our patterns and routines.

The lines "And I'll buy a new brain/I'll buy a new brain/You'll administer new pain" suggest the idea of wanting to change oneself and have others inflict a new kind of hurt, perhaps as a way of feeling something new or different. But again, the repetition of "Then we'll go on back to our old school/That we left so many times before/And you'll ask for more and more" shows how these desires for change and difference ultimately lead back to familiar territory.

In the second half of the song, the singer asserts their own agency and independence, saying "I've just begun a new phase/I'm trying these days/I've watched you close/I'm versed in all your ways/I'm just beginning to realize/I'll get you one of these days." This suggests a desire to break free from the patterns and relationships that have been holding them back, but the final lines "To real things happening to me" indicate a desire for actual change and growth, not just the illusion of it.

Line by Line Meaning

Let's try a new change
Let's attempt a different approach

Then we'll go on back to the old one
Eventually, we'll revert to our usual ways

Like we've done so many times before
As we have repeatedly done

And I'll buy a new brain
I want to change my way of thinking

I'll buy a new brain
I want to change my way of thinking

You'll administer new pain
You'll cause me to suffer in a novel way

Then we'll go on back to our old school
We'll return to our past behavior

That we left so many times before
That we have frequently abandoned

And you'll ask for more and more
You'll seek additional stimulation

I've just begun a new phase
I have initiated a novel chapter in my life

I'm trying these days
I'm making an effort as of late