Owen - The Seaside EP

[Blake Solomon]

Owen – The Seaside EP
Record Label: Polyvinyl Records
Release Date: July 7, 2009

My new apartment’s living room lacks an overhead light. The small space adjoins to the kitchen, complete with one of those long tube-like lights you see in school cafeterias or illegal gambling halls. Since the kitchen is to the left, there is a large space which receives said light without basking in it. This side is darker, and thus a bit depressing. If the TV isn’t on – it isn’t – the room leans to the left. And as Owen’s B-side/rarity collection The Seaside EP crawls by, so do I. Picked acoustic guitars, hushed tones and rare occasions of electronics bring vague enjoyment. But then Kinsella drops lines like, “You bring the drinks / I’ll bring the ‘fuck you,’” and here I am, sinking into the couch and groping for the light in all this hate.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that music is entertainment and persona. If Owen started singing songs about drinking coffee in the park and sharing spaghetti dishes, I’d be wary. This is, after all, Mike Kinsella’s outlet for depressing thoughts and woe-is-me-isms. But hey, I’ve been to a CVS; I know the world is full of terrible moms who wait too long before buying the next batch of Huggies. So even if we’re having a bad day or a weak moment, do we really need all this muck in our ears? On “I Woke Up Today” Kinsella pines, “I woke up today / And felt my age for the first time / In both my mind and body.” He says it over an ironically benign acoustic guitar; it’s almost lullaby-esque. He’s messing with us. But Owen’s listenership know what’s going on, which makes the resulting tearjerker pointless. I get the bit. Too well, in fact. You just have to wonder if there isn’t a better way of going about this.

Remember “Bad News” from At Home With Owen? Do we really need that again and again and again? Yeah, there are whistles in “I Woke Up Today”, but let’s face facts, this song is the same as the last one, which was identical to the last one. Even Owen’s B-Sides, the songs deemed “incoherent,” sound exactly the same as his accepted pieces.

Artists go through tough times. It’s almost necessary to move a career forward these days. But what does it say about Kinsella when he releases a career-spanning work of identically miserable material? Saves The Day wrote that f**king shitty record about a break-up or whatever. But that was a moment in time. Kinsella is stuck in quicksand. Even his covers, Extreme’s “More Than Words” and Springsteen’s “Stolen Car”, wallow in the same overwhelmingly misanthropic worldview. How long can a 30-something stay 17 and a half?

I don’t care how sad your terrible life is, The Seaside EP isn’t going to help. The last guy to rely on cynicism wound up on the street via his open 11th story window. Keep a song or two from this if you must, preferably not “A Fever”, though (“You fucked a fever in me / And I’m burning up”). Or maybe, listen to “A Fever”, because it has the same mildly upbeat guitar just like the rest of them. Wear your producer's hat and buy some music software that will remove Kinsella’s weepy yelps.

Better yet, get him a doctor. We choose to have relationships because we can get over them. It’s wired within us. There should be no treatment necessary when the Newest Slut f**ks her way through our poker buddies. We’re humans, we have opposable thumbs, and we move on. Kinsella is clearly not able to do this. Do they sell pills for growing up? Was I slipped one?


Recommended If You Like: tweed jackets with black arm patches, rape whistles, bulldogs, folk music(?)


www.myspace.com/mybandowen

[WhoSaidThat?]

Horrible review.
http://ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/funny-dog-pictures-dog-asks-you-what-you-are-talking-about.jpg

[hiddenjem]

amazing review Blake!, you have a way with words...I like the description you gave of your apartment and how you juxstaposed the album...the comparison really gave me incite and I will not be sampling this one any time soon, thanks

[Jeremy Aaron]

Horrible review.
Yeah, Blake's a has-been that never was. We should feel sorry for him, though, because he tries so hard.

;-)

[Gregory Robson]

One of your most well-written reviews ever. Solid stuff.
While I politely disagree, I can find merit in your points. So cheers to that.
Hope Mellow Mushroom is treating you will. Giddyup!

[RidingWithDeath]

Eh, not a fan of this review. I would have thought a little more about this instead of being "witty" for 3-4 paragraphs on how he needs to "grow up", especially coming from a 22 year old :).

I mean all of these songs were released a while back, so this isn't really a NEW album or a NEW set of songs, hence why the statement below makes no sense.

"How long can a 30-something stay 17 and a half?"

The answer is, because he can.

[AlkalineAshes]

I doubt an Owen record could be that bad
and growing up?? how about a little acceptance of variety of material..

[singyoutocoma]

I haven't heard this yet, being in Norway without my own computer, and I can't really argue with any of your points, but "I'm Not Seventeen" is nevertheless one of my favorite songs, and I'm feeling a strange reluctance to write this off.

[chrismojan]

"My thoughts are less of fitting in and more of being a better man". There's some light in his dark.

[cereal4life]

I doubt an Owen record could be that bad
and growing up?? how about a little acceptance of variety of material..
Even his covers, Extreme’s “More Than Words” and Springsteen’s “Stolen Car”, wallow in the same overwhelmingly misanthropic worldview. How long can a 30-something stay 17 and a half?


Answered!

[Travis Parno]

"Bad News" is one of my favorite Owen songs...

incidentally, i met the members of Extreme at Logan airport a few weeks ago. nice guys and yes, they've reunited and yes, they're touring. guess who's got SUMMER PLANS!!!!!!

oh yeah, very well-written review. go blake!

[yayitsjoe]

very well-written.

[Yellowcard2006]

I don't know this band. But I did read that for Blake's comedy. I leave satisfied.

[Intotheunkn0wn]

Blake Solomon's reviews are garbage. His opinion in music should be regarded about as much as Sarah Palin's opinion in anything.

I haven't even heard the Owen EP, but who gives a shit about your stupid apartment and when you think its time for people to grow up...

[ascitiesburn101]

Well-written review which bashed one of my favorite artists, however, I can still see your point. I just think this ep is inferior lyric-wise, thus, prefer to listen to one of his four other albums when I'm in the mood for it.

[foofighter51]

I was disappointed by this EP, but it is all previously-released material: b-sides, tracks from 7" and/or overseas releases. Once you take that into account it explains the lack of cohesion and variety that Kinsella is known for. It's obvious that Blake hasn't been tracking the Owen progression; despite its share of "downer" moments, "At Home With Owen" was definitely an overall uplifting record, and the tracks that he has briefly posted on MySpace recently seem to further that progression.

Anyway, Kinsella's music is not for everybody, but I wish Blake would have done more research, especially since it seems that he was attempting to chastize the entire Owen oeuvre in this review.

P.S. - Isn't "oeuvre" a great word? It should definitely get used more...

[trindaddy]

Well written, but I disagree with just about all of it.

[kevinrocks409]

Wow, you really tore him a new one. I personally think it's an alright compilation, I see why most of these songs are B-sides though.

[oldwirehands]

Great review Blake. This guy's career fell off years ago. I refuse to listen to this. And I wish I could get my money back for buying his last album when it came out.

[SLADE775]

http://jefferyrainey.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/faillike1999.jpg

[SLADE775]

Great review Blake. This guy's career fell off years ago. I refuse to listen to this. And I wish I could get my money back for buying his last album when it came out.
LOL

imbecile

[oldwirehands]

LOL

imbecile

You are also a fucking joke.

[katieissweet]

Although I disagree, this is a very well written review.

[SoCoSquid4]

i disagree with the review quite a bit.

don't know how ANY of owen's stuff can be rated so low creatively. when it comes to doing what he's doing, he's the cream of the crop. this EP isn't quite as good as some of his older stuff to me, but its still classic owen. beautiful songs.

[drewz5]

Wow, harsh review on an album of b-sides. I'll have to listen now

[PlacesToGo]

terrible review on many many levels and not just because I think its a quality EP, but mostly because the reasons you gave for not liking it were illogical, clearly another staffer should have been picked to review this.

[jhog3411]

While I like Owen, most of his songs sound the same. It's a good sound but I can see how it gets bland after a while.

[smorgy]

great review, i dont not agree with most of it. but still its a very well written review.

[baggagecarousel]

You've gotta be fucking kidding me. OK, so maybe this EP does deserve a 48, maybe the quality of the B-sides really aren't that good. They're B-sides for a reason. This EP wasn't meant to amplify Owen's career any, it's simply building anticipation for his full length coming out in the fall. Yet somehow you decide to fucking judge the artist's entire career from this one release. Don't pretend to understand Owen just because you listened to this one EP Blake, because you obviously know nothing about the rest of his work. Maybe if he removed harmonies from his music, shredded down the structure into simply verses and choruses, and replaced everything with power chords instead of melodies, you'd like it better? When you swoon over powerpop and call this material "miserable," i can only assume you're attempting a bit of humor. Go back to the mindless Dangerous Summer and leave the real artists for guys who understand what they're talking about.

Oh, and I read these reviews to find out about the music, not to learn about the arrangement of your apartment. Leave your personal anecdotes out of your reviews, no one gives a shit.

[peterock]

owen > this review

[jaimegill]

hah, im sure mike kinsella would laugh his ass off if he read this review.

[manican sex]

I liked this review. I wish it talked more about the music but it was very well written.

[Blake Solomon]

I liked this review. I wish it talked more about the music but it was very well written.
what else could i say? i think there's a pretty good description of the music, in that it all sounds similar.

[manican sex]

what else could i say? i think there's a pretty good description of the music, in that it all sounds similar.

fair enough.

[tcemoo]

How about less random thoughts and more about the actual music in your later reviews?

[PomonaForEmpusa]

i don't get how an Owen album can get such a low score while some of the garbage this site reviews gets in the 80s-90s. this is one of the reasons why i don't trust the reviews this site puts out.

i mean a 48? come on. sure its not nearly as good as his actual albums, it is a collection of b-sides after all, but it's still better than half the shit gettin released nowadays. i'd give it at least a 70.

[theguilt engine]

You are also a fucking joke.
Saying Mike's career has fallen off is probably the most ridiculous and most daft thing i've heard in a bit.

[oldwirehands]

Saying Mike's career has fallen off is probably the most ridiculous and most daft thing i've heard in a bit.

Sorry dude, I'm just tired of him. He's actually probably more popular than he ever was right now, so his career is doing fine. But ever since I Do Percieve his music started getting really old for me. What he does now is too stale for me to enjoy.

[insinceredave]

Don't agree with the review but each to their own.

To those who don't know owen, if you like good music then you'll like owen.

[theguilt engine]

Sorry dude, I'm just tired of him. He's actually probably more popular than he ever was right now, so his career is doing fine. But ever since I Do Percieve his music started getting really old for me. What he does now is too stale for me to enjoy.
i respect that

[HHJulia]

I don't get it - is this a review or a submission for a 6th grade creative writing project?

[guitardude28]

I think this has to be the worst review I've really ever read.....

I agree try's way to hard".

[deathinkosovo]

Why do people think well-written means "good"? It doesn't.

[deathinkosovo]

Sorry dude, I'm just tired of him. He's actually probably more popular than he ever was right now, so his career is doing fine. But ever since I Do Percieve his music started getting really old for me. What he does now is too stale for me to enjoy.

See, now this I can respect. You dislike his music currently. You used to be a fan, but you are no longer. You gave us a good reason, and no bullshit or potty mouth hate speech about the actual performer himself. This... this is good writing.

A couple paragraphs of proper grammar and punctuation are not. It's the message, not the way one delivers it.

[weownthestreets]

How long can a 30-something stay 17 and a half?


I think you've misunderstood his music entirely.

[weownthestreets]

what else could i say? i think there's a pretty good description of the music, in that it all sounds similar.

Then don't write any more. If you described the music sufficiently, the rest is filler, and a waste of our reading time.

[Edit: I don't mean that to come off as rude. I don't think the rest is "filler" necessarily. But if you yourself admit that there was nothing else to say about the music, then why not leave the review more succintly at that?]

[trindaddy]

what else could i say? i think there's a pretty good description of the music, in that it all sounds similar.
New Leaves retains elements of earlier Owen material—but here, the arrangements are more elaborate, the song structures more complex, and the lyrics more refined. Instead of lamenting failed relationships, Kinsella focuses on the new beginnings they allow.

Maybe his next release will have enough change within it to interest you?

[Blake Solomon]

Then don't write any more. If you described the music sufficiently, the rest is filler, and a waste of our reading time.

[Edit: I don't mean that to come off as rude. I don't think the rest is "filler" necessarily. But if you yourself admit that there was nothing else to say about the music, then why not leave the review more succintly at that?]
just how mine usually come out. maybe this particular reviewing style isn't for you. No biggie, we can't all like everything.

[Jeremy Aaron]

Then don't write any more. If you described the music sufficiently, the rest is filler, and a waste of our reading time.

[Edit: I don't mean that to come off as rude. I don't think the rest is "filler" necessarily. But if you yourself admit that there was nothing else to say about the music, then why not leave the review more succintly at that?]
I think you're missing the point of a review entirely. Let's face it -- we already know what Owen sounds like. If you want a description of the music, you're probably better off just looking at the RIYL and moving on. Would writing a description of the music on Deja Entendu without addressing the emotional impact of the songs do it justice? No, and similarly, if you're going to give an album a harsh score, you'd better be prepared to provide substantial elaboration, and Blake proved up to the task.

Seriously, you wouldn't read a Roger Ebert movie review expecting a plot synopsis. You want to know if you get emotionally invested in the characters, if the directing in a thriller truly creates suspense, and so on. Blake delves below the surface here and provides colorful analogies and anecdotes to illustrate. The beauty of music is that it isn't cold, calculated and objective. We listen because it evokes something within us. A review isn't a summary (at least a good one isn't), it's a reaction. Everyone's reaction isn't going to be the same, and again, that's part of what makes it interesting.

Personally, I think if this were a positive review, no matter how poorly written, it would have received nothing but "Great review!" comments. That's pretty much how things seem to work around here.

[theyellowdart]

I politely strongly disagreee. It is a b-side EP. It's not like he just wrote these songs.

[weownthestreets]

just how mine usually come out. maybe this particular reviewing style isn't for you. No biggie, we can't all like everything.

I actually liked the review--and your reviews in general--even though I think you've essentially missed the point of Owen (in that it's not equivalent to a seventeen year old's immature melancholy--which isn't to say it's any better, but I find it a poor comparison.)

Still, I think that in having said "what more could I say" that the three closing paragraphs were somewhat self-indulgent (I mean, the Saves the Day comparison?) and perhaps could've been written as a single one.

If anything my criticism was more directed at an attitude of "what more could I say?". I think you said plenty, and I think you said it well; but you should at least defend what you write as being essential to the overall composition, not simply "just how mine usually come out."

As for the record itself, I'll wait for a lonely, self-pitying night, where I can play it on repeat. I'm sure I'll love it, all the while realizing that it's just the same old existential lament, with no creative growth.

[pudoo645]

if ignatius j. reilly ever wrote a music review, it would be this one.

read a confederacy of dunces. hopefully you'll see a bit of yourself in ignatius and realize that you're an ass.

[screamoutmyname]

what saves the day album are you referencing, by the way?