(Photo Courtesy of Turnstile)In a recent interview with Refinery29, Christopher Owens said that while recording his debut solo album “Lysandre” in 2012, he distinctly remembered thinking of his fans, “This one they’re gonna have a hard time with, but the next one, I’m really gonna punch ‘em in the face.”
His first solo venture was different than the music he made with his band, Girls. First, it was a concept album, and second, every song was written in the same key and tied back to a main instrumental theme — most of them written during the first Girls tour in 2008. Owens often describes “Lysandre” as a story that he just had to record, to get it off his chest.
After releasing the album, Owens shifted his gaze to country, a genre he has strong ties to after spending nine years in Amarillo, Texas. The result, “A New Testament,” is a twangy, often upbeat record totally set apart from anything he has recorded in the past. Many of these songs, however, were written years before, so the sad lyrics remain. When placed on top of gospel choirs and pianos, they seem prettier and less dark. Even “Stephen,” a song about the death of Owens's little brother — possibly the darkest subject he’s written about — sounds cheerier than many Girls songs.
The record begins Owens singing “Well early in the morning / at the break of day / I ain’t got no God / to whom I pray” over simply strummed guitar chords, so the country theme is set right away. But seconds later, an organ and choir are added to the mix, creating a gospel tune that almost sounds too perfect to be real.
The organs continue on “It Comes Back to You” — a slow number about giving love to others even when you’re feeling blue. This seems to be one of the songs I revisit most often, possibly because whirly organs are the way to my heart, but then again maybe it’s the grandiose chorus with yet another choir and a jangly guitar in the background.
“Oh My Love” is another shiner. I’d seen an acoustic version of this song years ago in a video posted in 2010. In the clip, Owens plucks on a nylon string guitar all by himself, but on “A New Testament,” the acoustic was traded in for an electric guitar and adding drums and bass.
The album finishes incredibly strong with “Overcoming Me” and “I Just Can’t Live Without You (But I’m Still Alive).” The former is actually the earliest song, written in 2008.
Owens sings, “I kinda love the way you’re overcoming me” before the music slides into a chorus with heavy drums and that lovely, lovely organ. The album closer is riddled with confusion — not understanding how you can live without someone you never imagined leaving you — but it also talks of moving on, as Owens croons, “Mama didn’t raise no quitter / and I wanna make my daddy proud.”
With “A New Testament” Owens finally proves he no longer needs the title “formerly of Girls” after his surname in articles and interviews. He has reinvented his style and has no intention to stay within the limits of a single genre. His wish is to record an album every year, and can only hope he achieves this. If “A New Testament” is what is feels like to get punched in the face by Christopher Owens, then I say, “Thank you, sir! May I have another?”
Ask the reporter how he likes to be punched in the face at wruof@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @willruof
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