| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Bad News | Owen | 6:30 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi | Owen | 3:13 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Bags of Bones | Owen | 3:52 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Use Your Words | Owen | 4:26 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
A Bird In Hand | Owen | 7:32 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Windows and Doorways | Owen | 4:47 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Femme Fatale | Owen | 3:34 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
One of Theses Days | Owen | 3:44 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 8 Songs |
Album Review
Owen is Mike Kinsella, who is associated with such Chicago indie rock phenoms as American Football, Cap'n Jazz, and Joan of Arc. On his own, he creates dreamy, new-millennium bedroom folk dotted with all kinds of modernistic and ancient traces, such as loops, cello, piano, and sparse percussion. Kinsella is the sole auteur here, whipping up an album that sometimes leans toward such ruminative, creative songwriters as Mark Kozelek and Elliott Smith. Kinsella's pretty dirges don't come off as lo-fi, though; in fact, there is a surprising depth of layered textures here, in which acoustic guitar and other ephemera provide an expansive bed for Kinsella's often homely yet pleasing hush of a voice. The instrumentation in "One of These Days" has a bucolic richness, fleshed out with spare piano plunkings and cello, while the excellent "Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi" pins nimble acoustic guitar runs against Kinsella's plaintive musings on love. At Home with Owen has a contemplative, Sunday morning feel to it; it is a strong effort in which themes of yearning and wishful thinking pass dreamily across lovely musical textures, like rain on a windshield.
Customer Reviews
At home, but too comfortable
Owen's Mike Kinsella has gone from being disarmingly avant garde to disappointingly predictable. "At Home With Owen" demonstrates that Kinsella has found a formula, but instead of being the acoustic mad scientist we’ve known, he's playing it safe and risking explosions. The elements are all present: the slow fade in of multi-tracked arpeggiated noodling, the breathy vocals stretched to almost synth pad proportions, the ornamentation of keys and bells, the sudden shifts to distorted fretwork. All these characteristics compose a sound that is unmistakably Kinsella, but quirky risks are absent. Identity crisis has worked to much success in Owen's past. His most successful effort, the restrained but impressive 2004 EP, saw shifts from effective indie rock to alt-country, plaintive shoegaze to solo balladeering. That record sang with the distinct mark of Owen without sinking to stagnation. Here, Kinsella settles for too much of a good thing. The compositions remain as intricate as ever, but the surprise factor has all but disappeared. The accompaniment drops leaving acappella voices right where you’d expect; the amps plug in at the anticipated moment; the fluttery drums scatter across the verses in just the way you’d imagine. At certain points, the instrumentation even sags to a shamble. “Bag of Bones” tries its hand at a springy pop step, but the guitars never seem to coalesce. The seven-and-a-half minute “A Bird in Hand” wanders aimlessly. The most effective tune, the succinct “One of These Days,” succeeds by cutting straight to the point and simplifying when and where necessary, cueing strings and tinkling keys at the right moment and holding back for the rest. That track lacks most where the entire album also finds fault, which is in the lyrics. Kinsella himself complains in “Windows and Doorways” that “this was a lot more fun when the music meant something to someone,” which hints at the lyrical apathy Kinsella is suffering from. Topics ring familiar, from the ever-present relationship laments to the alcoholic haze of nights spent on barstools. Kinsella has begun to repeat himself with criticisms of the clichéd, pleas to whomever may be leaving his bed, and allusions to his sweet bike and extended family of bartenders. Owen neophytes might be impressed by this collection of eight songs, but the seasoned vet of sleepless nights soundtracked by Kinsella’s previous albums will surely be bored and retreat to past LPs that experimented more successfully and effected more poignantly. Hopefully Kinsella will deliver a more startling and poetic love letter with his next effort and push the envelope instead of hiding in it.
Beautiful
Some of the most brilliant composition's of music i've ever heard... it's just simply beautiful
Stunning...
This album retains all that is good about typical Owen, but with a much more mature feel. Owen sings all about life in a fresh and entertaining way. His beautiful lyrics are accompanied by stunning music. This is an excellent album.
Biography
Genre: Rock
Years Active: '00s, '10s
Top Albums and Songs By Owen
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Bad News | At Home With Owen | 6:30 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Bags of Bones | At Home With Owen | 3:52 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi | At Home With Owen | 3:13 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Never Meant | Owen / The Rutabega - EP | 4:16 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
A Bird In Hand | At Home With Owen | 7:32 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
One of Theses Days | At Home With Owen | 3:44 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Use Your Words | At Home With Owen | 4:26 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Windows and Doorways | At Home With Owen | 4:47 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Femme Fatale | At Home With Owen | 3:34 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Note to Self: | I Do Perceive | 6:15 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
- $9.99
- Genres: Rock, Music, Alternative, Indie Rock, Adult Alternative, College Rock
- Released: Nov 07, 2006
- ℗ 2006 Polyvinyl Record Co
