Girls

Elvis Costello. Psychedelic Surf rock. Flaming Lips. Epic buildups. Jarvis Cocker. Sadness. Happiness. And way more than you’d expect.

Girls’ Album has a lot packed into its 44 minutes. The lyrics are simple and direct. The music is not complicated. The vocals channel legends like Elvis Costello and Jarvis Cocker. But all together, the album is a beauty.

It starts with catchy, tap your toes to, Lust for Life. However, the theme of the album is skirted around: Going crazy after a breakup. Trying to figure out what to do with yourself. Rethinking what you really want.

Hellhole Ratrace

I know it sounds like a drab theme and a bit too emo, but Girls turn it on its head. Most tracks start with a catchy rift, and lead Christopher Owens singing with his unassuming damn-near-goofy voice, but…if you give it some time…they build into an unexpected psychedelic ether. A place where not even a bad break up or troubles at work or whatever problem ails you, can follow. It seems like this is where the troubled Christopher Owens hides from his problems.

Album is a really amazing debut album from a guy who’s story is really quite remarkable. Exerpt from Pitchfork

Girls frontman Christopher Owens grew up in the Children of God cult. His older brother died as a baby because the cult didn’t believe in medical attention. His dad left. He and his mother lived around the world, and the cult sometimes forced his mother to prostitute herself. As a teenager, Owens fled and lived as a Texas gutter-punk for a while. Then a local millionaire took Owens under his wing, and Owens moved to San Francisco. There, he and Chet “JR” White formed Girls, and recorded Album, their debut album, under the influence of just about every kind of pill they could find.

Chris’ story is really quite intense and you can hear his anguish in some of his lyrics, however, the album doesn’t DWELL on these negative aspects. He simply states them in his sing/talk kinda way and moves on. Really, I wish I could do that in my life sometimes. So, pick the album up. Its worth it.

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