Well affiliated with the world of music through his time as
frontman of indie outfit Girls, Christopher Owens begins his solo career with Lysandre which warrants comparisons to
some of greats. A swirl of genres through the record has given him much to build on in future releases, while this is
an accomplished first effort that may eventually stand as one of 2013’s finest.
Fantasy pervades a slab of Lysandre, with traces of Tolkien Middle earth to some of the tracks.
Piccolos are introduced in Here We Go across a wistful folk landscape, displaying
Owens’ vivid imagination. He mixes it up with uptempo road runners like New
York City, and the way styles are transcended throughout brings the universal
influence of Beck into view. There is much 70s popular soft rock and some jazz
in the sound, making this a good album for highway marathons, but there is
intelligence in the structure and he seems like an experienced hand on the
indie circuit.
Owens uses a range of vocals to convey the emotion of his
songs, his cracked falsetto on A Broken Heart matching the wistful background
that goes smooth with the listener. His nomadic childhood, spent travelling
across Asia and Europe year-to-year-, is reflected in the always-moving feel of
the tracks. Everyday sounds like airplanes and waves, as well as airport PA
systems, blend into this journeyman theme but it is the sophisticated use of
apparently random objects that draw favourable comparisons to Beck. Imagery is
key such as the sound of a late night jazz bar on Riviera Rock; Love is in the
Ear of the listener is lilting in a dreamy Hawaiian-esque habitat. This is the
kind of record that should be heard on a hot summer’s day in an open-top
convertible, with palm trees and perhaps a boulevard to canter down. Even with
his international exposure California is projected from many orifices and it is
this warmth that makes Lysandre a
pleasure to listen to.
Hopefully this album will see Owens be a hit across the
Atlantic, and there is enough successful originality plus shades of Neil Young
and James Taylor to endear himself worldwide.
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