Jenny Lewis song in Bolt

There's nothing like going to a movie to be pleasantly surprised to hear a voice of an artist you love half way through, not having expected it.

That happened to me tonight when I went to see Disney's latest offering, Bolt. It's a darling of a movie, by the way, and very entertaining. I even laughed out loud once or twice...that's something I rarely do at movies.

The song in question is called "Barking at the Moon" and is featured fairly prominently in the movie. Jenny managed to sing this song and make it kid-friendly but also really beautiful and not too cheesy for all of us who think she's the cat's pajamas in the indie rock world.

Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis, beloved 80's star of The Wizard and Troop Beverly Hills, and ultra cool leading lady for indie favorite Rilo Kiley, will be releasing her new solo record, minus the Watson Twins (since they've released their own now) on September 23rd.

The album is entitled "Acid Tongue" and from all reviews I've read and what I have heard from it, it will prove to be just as good, if not better, than her first solo album "Rabbit Fur Coat". Like "Rabbit Fur Coat", her new album gets its name from a track off the record. You can hear that title track here on the XPN blog...hotlinked below.

• Acid Tongue

Rilo Kiley - Moneymaker

Rilo Kiley will be releasing their next album "Under the Blacklight" on August 21st.

The first single for the album is called "Moneymaker" and the song and video have already found their way to the web, leading all us adoring fans to drool in anticipation of the upcoming release. In the past, Rilo Kiley's music has been country-tinged indie pop at its finest, but if the new single says anything about what the new album will be like, it will be edgier rock 'n' roll this time around, and I couldn't be more excited. I loved the country-tinged sound of Rilo Kiley in the past, but they have always had a music sensibility that would lend itself well to the grittier rock 'n' roll goodness. Needless to say, I am ecstatic about the prospect of what this new album could be like.

The Moneymaker video starts with several minutes worth of entry interviews with porn stars and their history and why they got into the adult film industry, and the video includes the ones they chose looking like they're ready to "go to work", so to speak. This is not something you'd particularly think of when you think Rilo Kiley, but at the same time, it's not shocking. The former child stars (guitarist Blake Sennett, formerly on Salute Your Shorts, and singer Jenny Lewis was in such classics as Troop Beverly Hills and The Wizard) are showing a darker side of Hollywood, something many child stars seem to have been exposed to.

Check out the video for "The Moneymaker" on YouTube here
And here is a song from their last album to give you a taste...

• It's a Hit ( left click )