|
Pulse of the Twin Cities Login |
|
If you do not have an account yet
Create One.
|
|
|
Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
|
|
|
|
Owen: Magical Bedroom Pop
Wednesday 20 November @ 09:57:33 |
 by Rob van Alstyne
The marvels of modern technology surround us in the form of wireless communications, ever cooler video game time wasters and flashy move special effects; but it’s only on rare occasions that one takes the time to stop and reflect on just what cool things gadgets can do. It takes something as transcendently beautiful as Owen’s No Good for No One Now—an album recorded in approximately a month using a Macintosh in the performers mom’s house—to remind me just how great things like microchips really are.
I should have known to expect nothing less from Owen (aka longtime Chicago indie-rock artist Mike Kinsella, 24), whose self-titled 2001 debut broke new ground for the somewhat homogeneous “brooding recluse” school of home recording. No Good, like Kinsella’s debut, avoids straightforward singer-songwriter fare, opting instead for a roomier groove-based approach.
Technically stunning guitar lines fade in and out of the mix, and percussion adds key textures to the songs.
The proficient percussion will come as no surprise to those Kinsella fans who are aware of his musical pedigree—he cut his teeth playing drums in older brother Tim’s various bands, from emo pioneers Cap’n Jazz to art-thrash outfit Joan of Arc. Whereas those bands favored a disquieting and aggressive aesthetic, Kinsella’s own music provides a sea of sonic warmth, ideal for low key meditative listening.
Despite the music’s obvious surface differences, Kinsella sees clear connections in all of his musical work. “Playing in all those other bands has completely influenced me,” claims Kinsella. “I’ve always been attracted to melody and interesting time signatures, and there have been aspects of both of those in all of my previous bands. Cap’n jazz was all about melody and energy, and Joan of Arc was all about %@!#$&ed up timings and interlocking guitars, so to me all of the other bands I’ve been involved with and Owen are very similar. I think watching Victor [Vileal, from Joan of Arc] play guitar totally changed how I thought the guitar needed to be played, and Tim’s approach to songwriting totally changed how I thought songs needed to be arranged.”
Regardless, Owen doesn’t display any obvious influences. No Good presents a riveting snapshot of an artist working far outside typical rock ‘n’ roll conventions, boldly fusing quick-fingered acoustic songwriting with experimental ambient textures. Bouncy, hand-clap-fueled pop (“I’m Not Going Anywhere Tonight”) gives way to ten minute keyboard zonked balladry (“Take Care of Yourself”) with Kinsella never overstepping the thin line that separates captivating innovation from over indulgent studio wankery.
Although he eschews traditional singer-songwriter musical structures, Kinsella does fall in line with the sad sack lyrical tradition of previous bedroom masters like Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, presenting a highly fragile and introspective lyrical world, the soundtrack of late night melancholy ruminations. “I don’t actually sit around all day pining over ex-girlfriends, or stressing about my crooked teeth or anything,” says Kinsella in explanation of his downcast lyrics. “I’m usually in a pretty good mood playing the guitar, watching TLC, or running errands—but I’m not too inspired to write ‘songs’ while doing any of those things. It seems like the songs only come out at about 2 a.m. after a night spent alone, you know?”
The solitude Kinsella needs for lyric writing carries over to his musical output. He played every note on No Good—a method he finds necessary at this point in his development as a songwriter. “I’m definitely not against having other people play on my records somewhere down the line,” claims Kinsella. “But I’m pretty selfish when it comes to writing the songs. I hear them a certain way in my head, I hear the drums and the bass and some accents, so I don’t think I’m ready to ‘collaborate’ with anyone right now. Eventually I’d love to have some friends with a talent for instruments that I can’t imagine being able to play come over and help me realize what I hear in my head.”
For now, however, the wide-ranging sounds running around in Kinsella’s brain—a delectable combination of immediately melodic riffs and trippy sound layers—are all his own. Just be thankful he makes it out of the bedroom to share every now and again.
Owen plays Sat., Nov. 23, in the Weyerhauser Boardroom at Macalester College with Rabbit Rabbit and Pat Leo. 7:30 p.m. $5. All-Ages. 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105.
|
|
 |
|
|
