 |
Who knows what fans were expecting with Girls frontman Christopher Owens's debut solo album — but whatever it was, it likely didn't involve madrigal flutes and Jim Croce fingerpicking. "If your heart is broken, you will find fellowship with me," Owens croons on the effervescent folk-prog of "Here We Go," doling out the sweetest James Taylor pick-up line since the age of bell bottoms. That track's some kind of mini-masterpiece: a sonic avalanche of jazz flutes, acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and a fuzz-guitar solo that erupts like molten lava. The rest of Lysandre is equally nuts, venturing into goofy surf-pop ("Here We Go Again"), sax-drenched psych-pop ("New York City"), dubby calypso ("Riviera Rock"), and shuffling acoustic balladry ("Part of Me"). Short of a half hour total (and reworking the same melodic theme every other track), Lysandre inevitably feels a bit skimpy. It's still an unnervingly tuneful warm-up: freed from his hipster shackles, Owens is harnessing the power of the incredibly uncool — and he's all the cooler for it.RYAN REED » RREED6128@HOTMAIL.COM
CHRISTOPHER OWENS :: Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm Ave, Boston :: January 25 @ 8 pm :: 18+ :: $15 :: 617.562.8800 or thedise.com
