Here's some news to make you go "squee": Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis has started recording her second solo album. While there's no word on whether the Watson Twins will be back for another round with Lewis, many wonderful friends have already signed on, including Jonathan Rice, Elvis Costello, and — wait for it — M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. See? Squee!

Lewis' charming solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, was one of my top 20 albums of 2006, and I've been wondering since then how her next non-Rilo album might sound. As much as I liked Rabbit Fur Coat, I was even more enamored with several of the songs Lewis and her backing band performed together after the album's release, including the jubilant "Fernando" and the haunting "Acid Tongue." In fact, instead of listening to Rabbit Fur Coat itself, I often find myself playing this live recording, which has my favorites from Rabbit Fur Coat plus many of the newer tracks.

So, I'm curious to see if Lewis has continued in that post-Rabbit Fur direction, or if she'll come out with something entirely new. A source told Entertainment Weekly that "It all sounds super natural, nice, and simple. Like it doesn't belong in any decade. It's just timeless." Sounds promising. What are your hopes for Lewis' next solo outing?

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