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The Owls
No, not those Owls with ex-members of Cap'n Jazz. These Owls are from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and are found on Portland's Magic Marker records. (Apparently the distinction comes from the use of the article "The" in the band's name.)
Allison LaBonne and Brian Tighe of the Owls are married. After several years of marriage, Tighe says, LaBonne began to share her songs with him, and the rest is history. The flush of new love flows through their crushworthy music--pleasant, easygoing indie pop with boy-girl vocals. Although a lot of the elements of the music draw from like-minded chamber pop bands, the songs do not induce comas with sugary sweetness, nor are do they devolve into the depths of despair. The Owls always keep momentum moving forward, flightiness grounded by jaunty piano and midtempo strummed guitars. Their unassuming, sincere Beatles-inspired sound is surprisingly coherent, given that three members share songwriting duties. Much of the chemistry in the sound comes from long-standing friendships among the band members.
The cheery "Air" mesmerizes with layered, lush vocals that soothe and relax, hiding the sorrowful content within. The interplay of whispery female and male vocals remind me a lot of Club 8, but if Club 8 were on anti-depressants, or the shimmering pop of LA's Fonda; The Owls retain the same dreamy intimacy in their work, with vulnerable vocals and spare instrumentation. But unlike a lot of boyfriend-girlfriend duos (Mates of State, Quasi), any emotional turmoil is often suppressed by velvety soft melodies and pretty "ba da, ba da" harmonies, prefering to draw fans in with their beautiful baroque romanticism. Their songs are like shiny helium-filled balloons, yearning to break free, and barely tethered to earth.
The Owls - Air
The Owls - Luck
The Owls - From Far Away
The Owls' official site. Buy the Our Hopes and Dreams EP from Amazon or iTunes Music Store. They play Saturday, March 18 at 10:30 p.m. at the Habana Calle 6 Patio.
Shadows tags:theowls.
Posted by Queen of the Front Row at 03.10.06 at 12:15 AM
Comments
thanks for the tunes - nice sunny melodies!
Gurg
Posted by: supergurg at 03.10.06 at 6:31 AM
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