Review: Owen – “L’Ami du Peuple”

 

 

Owen
L’Ami du Peuple

Polyvinyl Records – July 2nd 2013
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | HMV Digital

 

6.8



 

 


Known for his chapters with American Football and Cap’n Jazz, Chicago’s Mike Kinsella has stifled himself to craft his career arc. L’Ami du Peuple timidly captures a more progressive Owen, blanketing single-themed releases for weathered material that’s downbeat, introspective, and distinctly poetic. For Kinsella, this record is a gaping piece of truth that sobers his misconceptions and flaws. “The Burial” and “Bad Blood” are ambitious examples of how he’s become comfortable with texturing his sound, and though they’re spotted with lackluster moments, he manages to wisely backdrop his more sensitive cuts. “Love Is Not Enough” is near perfect acoustic pop, marrying electric guitar to adult realism (“I can see how some guys give up/ How good apples go bad”) before sliding into the sentiments behind “Coffin Companions”. The transitions of L’Ami du Peuple aren’t out of the ordinary, but they commit darker periods (“Who Cares?”) and dusky reflections (“Where Do I Begin?”) to break down the sorrow that’s to come. It’s not always pretty but the new Owen songs draft aches and vivid daytripping as experiences that will leave you inspired.

Listen: “Vivid Dreams”, “Love Is Not Enough”, “Coffin Companions” || Watch: “Who Cares?”

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