Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining

AUG 21 2007 · 12:00

Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining (2007) Director: Autumn de Wilde Era: Indie Rock Major-Label Crossover Era (2007) - Mid-2000s indie acts transitioning to major labels, blending DIY aesthetics with polished production during the peak of the iPod/MySpace music discovery cycle. High curatorial value as a primary artifact of the mid-2000s indie rock mainstream crossover moment, directed by Autumn de Wilde at a formative stage of her career before her transition to feature films. The video's theatrical wedding narrative, warm HD-digital aesthetic, and emotionally grounded performance make it a textbook example of the era's best music video craft, and a key document of Rilo Kiley's artistic and commercial peak. Context: Released in 2007 as the second single from Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley's major-label debut on Warner Bros. Records, 'Silver Lining' arrived at a pivotal cultural moment when beloved indie acts were navigating the tension between underground credibility and mainstream visibility. The song ranked No. 27 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2007, and the parent album ranked 8th on the magazine's best albums of that year, cementing Rilo Kiley, and frontwoman Jenny Lewis, as defining voices of the mid-2000s indie-pop canon. The wedding video concept, depicting a bride with second thoughts, literalizes the song's themes of self-liberation and emotional reckoning. Director notes: Directed for Rilo Kiley in 2007 as the second single from the band's Warner Bros. major-label debut album Under the Blacklight. Per IMDb, the video depicts a wedding scenario. De Wilde had an established working relationship with the Los Angeles indie rock scene and with Jenny Lewis specifically, consistent with her broader portfolio of intimate, character-driven music video narratives.