Recorded music834 entries
Christopher Owens - Lysandre
Released: 14/01/2013
Fat Possum
Owens’ announcement earlier this year that he was leaving Girls – the duo he fronted and wrote the songs for – to ‘progress’ with a solo career looks from the outside like little more than a severing of ties with former bandmate Chet White. His first solo venture chronicles a love affair with the eponymous Lysandre in sweet acoustic pop written entirely in the key of A.
For more information visit:
http://www.christopherowensonline.com/
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50%
allmusic“Split between confessional, Baroque folk ballads and bubbly rockers...” The album is a decent attempt at a fresh start that won’t put off too many Girls fans, but until he figures out exactly what kind of singer/songwriter he wants to be, won’t likely earn him too many new fans...
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65 %
Pitchfork“Liberated...” A narrative concept album that runs a mere 29 minutes and is both more musically ornate yet somehow also slighter than anything Girls attempted, a deeply personal work whose arch presentation serves to keep you at an emotional distance...
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70 %
NME“Christopher Owens is more alive than ever...” The strong streak of self-destruction running through his veins is well documented, but now runs alongside an increasingly refined talent for writing stunning songs, which makes for a fascinating combination...
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70 %
Drowned In Sound“Unduly emotionally indulgent...” Doesn’t feel a million miles away from a Girls record – probably because these songs were first written in the early Girls period. This is both a strength and a weakness...
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70 %
The Line of Best Fit“Lysandre is where Girls end and Owens begins...” Owens seems to be struggling in parts with the fall out of Girls, as we were when it was first announced. And while the issues are only in parts, they are in very glaringly open parts that cannot be ignored...
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80 %
Guardian“Mostly irresistible...” Girls' fuzzy-edged slackerliness has been supplanted by delicate arrangements for flute, strings and acoustic guitar, and vocal performances of surpassing warmth and fragility...
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80 %
The Observer“Surprisingly refreshing...” He used to worry he wasn't a very good singer; he really has come on. Every now and again, Owens's soft murmur can sound as melodically inconsolable as Elliott Smith's...
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75 %
The 405“Isn't necessarily the record Girls fans will be expecting, or even want...” A much more intimate record, not in the sense of soul-bearing – there was plenty of that in Girls – but in that it's a record written not just for Owens, but for the girl of the album's title...
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80 %
BBC“Parts feel slight, more conventional and a bit samey...” The pieces coalesce and themes return like long-lost friends as Owens steps from exquisite tune to exquisite arrangement...
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