Owls (album)

Owls is the debut studio album by American rock band Owls. After the disbandment of Joan of Arc, frontman Tim Kinsella reunited with the former members of Cap'n Jazz to form Owls. They recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in April 2001. Owls is an emo and indie rock record with comparisons to Ghosts and Vodka, Pavement and Captain Beefheart. Owls was released on July 31 through independent label Jade Tree. It was promoted with tours of the US and Europe, before the members focussed on other projects. Following an appearance at CMJ Musicfest in late 2002, Owls broke up.

Owls
Studio album by
Owls
ReleasedJuly 31, 2001
RecordedElectrical Audio
StudioApril 2001
GenreEmo, indie rock
Length35:37
LabelJade Tree
Owls chronology
Owls
(2001)		 Two
(2014)

Background and production

In mid 2000, Joan of Arc frontman Tim Kinsella reunited with the former members of Cap'n Jazz: Tim Kinsella on vocals, his brother Mike Kinsella on drums, Victor Villareal on guitar and Sam Zurick on bass, though without Davey von Bohlen, who was busy with the Promise Ring. They performed a one-off show for a fund-raiser, before working on songs for a week.[1] Joan of Arc released The Gap in September that year through independent label Jade Tree.[2] The supporting tour was unsuccessful, with tiny crowds and unrest within the band (which also featured Mike Kinsella and Zurick in the line-up).[1]

Joan of Arc played one more US show, alongside four in Japan in January 2001, before breaking up.[1] Following the demise, Kinsella's band with the former Cap'n Jazz members was announced to the public as Owls.[3] Owls was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in April 2001; the recordings were mastered by John Golden at John Holden Mastering.[4] Tim Kinsella said Albini was crucial to the project: "If we are gonna do this, record to tape, record all live -- it needs to be Albini".[5]

Composition

Owls is an emo[6] and indie rock album,[7][8] which drew comparisons to Ghosts and Vodka (sharing members with Owls),[9] the lo-fi energy of Pavement and the jazz blues of Captain Beefheart.[10] Tim Kinsella's stream-of-consciousness,[11] abstract lyricism was influenced by the work of E. E. Cummings,[12] while his vocal styling was compared to Lou Reed and Neil Young.[10] Villarreal bounced between plucked single-notes and borderline metal,[11] while incorporating arpeggios.[9] His guitar work recalled Don Caballero's American Don (2000) and the Ghosts and Vodka albums.[12] Mike Kinsella's drumming, couple with Zurick's bass parts, anchored Tim Kinsella's more off-kilter vocal performances.[12]

The first two tracks "What Whorse You Wrote Id On" and "Anyone Can Have a Good Time" included percussion instrumentations, such as bongs and a tambourine.[12] The latter sees Kinsella tackle the topics of heredity and matrimony, while its coda saw him pondering a conventional band format.[13] "Everyone Is My Friend" is a math rock song,[14] with jangling guitar parts and upbeat drum patterns, earning a comparison to Sunny Day Real Estate.[8] "I Want the Blindingly Cute to Confide in Me", which is reminiscent of The Gap,[13] epitomizes the record's various musical forms: pseudo-jazz rhythms, Andy Summers-esque guitar playing, intermittent vocal melodies and Kinsella's lyrical style.[15] The title of the penultimate song "Life in the Hair Salon-Themed Bar on the Island" is in reference to a salon in New York City. The indie rock track incorporated influence from Frank Zappa;[15] it exemplifies Villarreal's guitar abilities.[12] The second half of the closing track "Holy Fucking Ghost" features several tempo changes.[12]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Austin Chronicle[16]
Cleveland SceneFavorable[10]
CMJ New Music MonthlyFavorable[13]
Exclaim!Favorable[8]
LAS MagazineFavorable[12]
Modern FixFavorable[17]
Ox-FanzineUnfavorable[18]
Pitchfork7/10[15]
Stylus MagazineC+[19]

Promotion and touring

As Joan of Arc's break up was announced publicly in early May 2001, independent label Jade Tree announced the release of Owls' self-titled album. It was made available for pre-order from mid-May, and released on July 31.[20] The Japanese edition, released through Quattro Disc, included the bonus track "Later".[21] Between August and October, the group embarked on a cross-country US tour.[22] Mike Kinsella left to focus on Owen, his solo project, and was replaced by Ryan Rapsys.[3] Leading up to the Christmas period, the band embarked on a European tour. As a result of their van breaking down, the group missed six performances. Following this, the members focussed on other projects: Tim Kinsella spent early 2002 working on Friend/Enemy's debut album,[5] and a new Joan of Arc album; Villareal and Zurick formed Precious Blood.[1] Owls performed at CMJ Musicfest in October,[23] disbanding sometime afterwards.[3]

Critical response

Owls was featured in the A.V. Club's Best Music of the Decade "orphan" list (reserved for albums worth note that did not make the list).[24] It also appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 40 best emo albums.[6] Similarly, "Everyone Is My Friend" appeared on a best-of emo songs list by Vulture.[25]

Track listing

Track listing per booklet.[4]

  1. "What Whorse You Wrote Id On" – 4:07
  2. "Anyone Can Have a Good Time" – 5:34
  3. "I Want the Quiet Moments of a Party Girl" – 3:43
  4. "Everyone Is My Friend" – 3:26
  5. "I Want the Blindingly Cute to Confide in Me" – 5:58
  6. "For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember" – 2:57
  7. "Life in the Hair Salon-Themed Bar on the Island" – 3:43
  8. "Holy Fucking Ghost" – 6:09

Japanese bonus track

  1. "Later" – 4:16

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[4]

Owls

Production

  • Steve Albini – recording
  • John Golden – mastering
  • Owls – self-portraits
  • Paul Koob – graphic design

References

Citations

  1. Margasak, Peter (July 26, 2001). "Old Faces, New Bird/Everything Old is on Sale Again". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  2. "The Gap - Joan of Arc | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  3. Thomas, Fred. "Owls | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  4. Owls (booklet). Owls. Jade Tree. 2001. JT1059.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Padgett, Mark (April 11, 2002). "Out of the Woods?". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  6. Burgess, Aaron (March 1, 2016). "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  7. Hindle, James (Winter 2002). "Review: Owls | Owls (Jade Tree)". Comes with a Smile. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  8. Lindsay, Cam (July 1, 2001). "Owls Owls". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  9. D'Angelo, Peter J. "Owls - Owls | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  10. Baker, Brian (August 2, 2001). "Owls | CD Reviews". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  11. Shimer, Katie (August 16, 2001). "A Dumb Question". Portland Mercury. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  12. Allen, Ryan. "Owls Self-titled". LAS Magazine. Archived from the original on December 13, 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  13. Bruno 2001, p. 73
  14. Blest, Paul (June 18, 2014). "Jade Tree: The Essentials, the Overlooked, and the Rightfully Forgotten". Vice. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  15. Leslie, Camilo Arturo. "Album Reviews: Owls: Owls". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  16. Chamy, Michael (August 31, 2001). "The Owls and Ghosts and Vodka". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  17. Bushman, Mike (November 2001). "CD Reviews". Modern Fix. Archived from the original on August 27, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  18. Hiller, Joachim (September–November 2001). "Owls Owls LP / CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  19. Chakroff, Evan (September 1, 2003). "Owls - Owls - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  20. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on June 15, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  21. Owls (sleeve). Owls. Quattro Disc. 2001. ARQD-002.CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. "Tour Dates". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on August 16, 2001. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  23. "Tour Dates". The Village Voice. October 19, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  24. "Best music: the orphans". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  25. Cohen, Ian (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.

Sources

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