After deciding to split his group
Girls
in 2012,
Christopher Owens
released his first solo record,
Lysandre
, in early 2013.
' short career arc went from scrappy, reverb-drowned eccentrics to majestic psych-prog-tinged rock, but his first effort finds
Owens
stripping back on both reverb and majesty in favor of a more organic, intimate sound. Split between confessional, Baroque folk ballads and bubbly rockers, the brief album traces the splintering of a love affair with all the melodic strength and clunky lyrical style associated with
' previous work. He sounds more comfortable laying back in the ballads this time out, surrounding his ultra-plaintive vocals with a comforting array of acoustic guitars, vibraphones, electric pianos, and female backing vocals. "Here We Go" and "Everywhere We Knew" are very sweet songs that show a nicely tender side to
' quirky persona, and the bouncy title track sounds like something twee and happy enough for
Donovan
to take a crack at. The album is a decent attempt at a fresh start that won't put off too many
fans, and shows that
may just have a future as a sensitive singer/songwriter. ~ Tim Sendra