Published on Aug 16, 1999
The man who is known only as Owsley (like Madonna or Sable) has
come out with an incredible self-titled debut CD. This is
definitely pop music for the present with very few retro leanings.
And yet unlike too few of today’s hot pop CD’s, this is a
consistently strong CD throughout with no filler.
In a perfect world, this CD would yield a slew of singles and
yet it would not be a stretch to think this might happen. After
all, a former bandmate of his, Ben Folds, hit the big time without
compromising his style. The label is making a big deal of this (and
why not?), but the truth is only one song has somewhat of a Ben
Folds Five feel to it.
That song, called “Sonny Boy”, is piano based and has the same
melodic, sardonic quality of the best Ben Folds Five songs, while
avoiding the snottiness that mar some of BFF’s work. I like the
fact that Owsley manages to sound modern without having the bad
attitude that today’s bands seem to feel is necessary to
succeed.
Many of the songs on
Owsley fall roughly into two categories: they are either
quirky or heartfelt. On the quirky side, you have the opening tune,
“Oh No The Radio”, a marvel at both sound and sentiment. The song
has plenty of sound effects and reminds me of the Fountains Of
Wayne (who he opened for on a recent tour).
The next song, “I’m All Right” is the only true nod to the
alternative rock scene as it cranks up the guitars while still
managing to stay poppish, not unlike the Foo Fighters. “Zavelow
House” is about a haunted house and has some nice creepy keyboard
effects.
On the heartfelt side are “Good Old Days”, a catchy midtempo
tune about going back to your hometown and trying to recapture your
youth. “Class Clown” is a ballad with a similar theme and even ends
with the guitar riff from “Good Old Days”. “Sentimental Favorite”
is effectively bittersweet and has a nice keyboard part to
complement the song.
If there is a flaw to
Owsley, I would say it is the tendancy for overly slick
production values. While it works beautifully on many of the songs,
I think it undermines one song in particular called “Coming Up
Roses”, a sweet song that comes off sounding like a schlocky
ballad. Overall, the songs are strong enough that they did not need
so many production tricks.
One thing is for sure:
Owsley is the type of CD chock full of gorgeous, inventive,
and tuneful songs that will likely stick in your head for a long
time. This is a wonderful debut that I recommend to anyone who
thinks the pop music scene has gotten stale.