I know what you’re thinking, another sad sappy record from a band with a boys name. There’s enough to make your head spin, Elliott, Lewis, Jebediah, Billy, the list goes on and on. However, Owen is a lot different from this list because this is Mike Kinsella’s new band/project. The best way to describe this debut record is a mix of American Football and Joan of Arc, which were Mike’s previous bands. Think the beautiful guitar work of American Football but combined with the synth-. work of Joan of Arc. Kinsella takes away all of the extras to expose a world that only he could express. Using a wonderful instrumentation of acoustic guitars, drums, bass, electronic effects, and a vibraphone, Owen brings the best of both of Kinsella’s other projects. Joan of Arc used a lot of electronics but Owen uses them more sparingly, in mostly swells that accentuate crescendos. This is very effective, if not more so because it gives a less produced sound and the vibraphone is a very nice touch, as well as an instrument I wouldn’t have thought to put in a group like this. Every song flows into one another flawlessly especially track 2 and 3 which are appropriately titled “Most Days and” “Most Nights”. My favorite track is number 6 “You Should Do it Now While You’re Thinking About It” because of its swirling effects overlapping acoustic guitars, accompanied by the lyrics “Nothing to do but talk about the poor skinny fat kid without any interest in making friends.” Eventhough Mike’s vocals are quite easy to comprehend, I would have enjoyed having lyrics with this CD, but the artwork is very simplistic, soft-spoken, and fits the sound of the record. This recording has a lot of songs that sound similar, but a better way to think of it is that they’re all strikingly beautiful and well written. Certainly fans of brain dead noise bands, (you know which bands I’m talking about) will not find the same beauty that fans of this genre would. Pick this record up especially if you’re a fan of Kinsella’s earlier work...Owen does not disappoint.

-Mike