“I’m playing some Owen shows, and you should come, because in all honesty, I’ve never felt worse and imagine I’ll probably die soon. See ya there!” This is how Mike Kinsella annouced his tour dates in support of this new album. While on the surface this could be concerning, it’s the kind of dark, dry, self deprecating humor we’ve come to expect from him over the years. It gives you an idea if you’re unfamiliar with Owen, what you may expect lyrically from this album, as well.

Mike Kinsella is no stranger to releasing new albums. He’s a veteran of the music scene, known for his bands Cap’n Jazz, this solo project Owen, and a fresh new band he introduced, who just released their new record last year, Lies. There’s another project he’s been involved in, that’s slipping my mind at the moment. I joke, of course; American Football is one of if not the most celebrated band in the Midwest emo scene. What’s always impressive about Mike’s records up to and including Owen, is that they always add new elements, and have a freshness about them. You can hear in every record he makes that he still finds endless inspiration, and The Falls Of Sioux continues to prove that.

“A Reckoning” starts off with some layered acoustic guitars. The mix instantly encourages you to make sure you’re using the best pair of headphones you own. The payoff in the song around the one minute mark is as satisfying as the acoustic start, which you’ll hear come back to end the song. It sounds like it could be the theme song for a western TV show. The falsettos in the song add another beautiful aspect, to an already stunning opener.

“Beaucoup” begins with some catchy strummed guitar before the drums and driving bass kick in. The bass synths, and subtle electronic elements really add some unexpected surprises. The repeated “I can see everything ” line in the verses add a catchiness to the song.

“Hit And Run” is extremely engaging lyrically and tells a story where Mike exclaims “now I have to live each day, with what I’ve done” If the lyrics didn’t have your attention already, there’s no way that that line won’t grab your attention and suck you into the story at hand. Towards the end Mike bargains “I’d rather be dead, please lord take me instead”

“Cursed ID” finds Kinsella in familiar territory, with self deprecating lyrics, which fans have come to know and love from his songwriting. However the twist in this song, is it seems that he has found some peace and acceptance when he says he can’t “afford to complain anymore” and says “I’m lucky to have this coat” followed by asking “was it worth it? I can’t explain it, but yes” after reference to a hypothetical noose around his neck.

“Virtue Misspent” goes in a lot of unexpected directions for a song that clocks in at under 4 minutes. It has many  unpredictable key signatures it uses, and ends with an engaging spoken word passage by a narrator.

“Mount Cleverest” is a song where you can hear some of the best, almost chaotic at times, experimentation on the record. Like “Virtue Misspent” it’s a  song that feels like quite the journey despite a shorter track length of under four minutes.

“Qui Je Plaisante?” which translates from French to English into “Who Am I Kidding?” becomes a clever title when you hear him say he “could’ve learned another language” along with a list of regrets of things he could’ve done like writing more songs(could he have?) and saving his marriage.

“Penny” finds Kinsella repeating the line “penny for your thoughts” during the song. Towards the mid section he says it’s “quite literally, the entirety, my insurance policy for your love” Love seems to be a theme in this song where he says “short of a diamond ring, I won’t be fooled again”

“With You Without You” is a satisfying 5 minute closer with driving drums that stand out through the first half of the song. In the middle of the song they cut out before bass drum kicks lead them back in fully for the last couple minutes of the song. It’s another song that seems to find (while minimal) some optimism where he says in a line repeated a couple of times “in my middle age of discovery every mistake is a luxury” He finds a couple more moments of wit on the record before it ends where he says “you and your cat got my tongue again” and apologizes that he “doesn’t have a thing to wear, you can’t take me anywhere”

There are so many elements on this record that have a sense of comfort or home about them; Pieces of Kinsella you’ve grown to love over the years. What sets this record apart and makes it unique is the chances and experimentation he does throughout this record, to ensure he never makes the same album twice, another thing he has delivered throughout his career. Hopefully his grim prediction about the future of his health and wellness is not foretelling and we will be treated to many more Owen records in the future.

Rating 8.2/10
Owen – The Falls Of Sioux
Release Date: 4/26/24
Tracklisting:
    1.    A Reckoning
    2.    Beaucoup
    3.    Hit and Run
    4.    Cursed ID
    5.    Virtue Misspent
    6.    Mount Cleverest
    7.    Qui Je Plaisante?
    8.    Penny
    9.    With You Without You

Reviewed By Adam Backus

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