Monday, April 29, 2019

“Paris” by OWEL – An Album Sampling

     The current surge in vinyl collectoring carries a return of the lament of entering a well-stocked used record store with a limited budget. There isn’t a shortage of good choices; available money is the issue. A related difficulty faced us while we sampled the recent album from OWEL, a New Jersey band. Typically, we select a favorite track from an album and then breakdown the song. But like record hunting, sampling the 12 songs on OWEL’s album, “Paris,” brought paralysis by analysis. Fortunately, our space budget doesn’t impose a limit, so we are posting four songs.

      The members of OWEL are Jay Sakong (vocals, guitar, keys), Seamus O'Connor (guitar, keys, vocals), Nunzio Moudatsos (bass, vocals), Ryan Vargas (percussion), and Patti Kilroy (violin, viola).

     OWEL brings polished orchestral skills to the Indie continent. Most songs on the “Paris” album are dynamic with respect to at least two of tempo, instrumentation, melody, texture, and intensity. “Being Human Is Weird” is a strong example. The song begins with an attractively gentle guitar hook and percussion that rejects any thought of restricting itself to using drum skins. Ninety seconds later, the song is forceful and the percussion is aggressive. Then, slightly more than three minutes into the single, strings step forward to establish a layer of elegance that blends well with the forcefulness of the vocals and percussion.

     “Being Human Is Weird” by OWEL


     The orchestral influences on the music of OWEL are most apparent during the piano-driven and strings-supported intro of “No Parachutes.” The song is also lyrically intriguing and intellect:
Let's build a plane out of styrofoam and cellophane
And whatever’s left behind the shed
Let's cut across the Atlantic where we'll both live off
Of strange love with strangers
Packed to the roof with our plastic guns and hiking boots
And we’ve left no room for parachutes
And this gasoline is enough to only get us to
Strange love with strangers
God save us from this love
***
No parachutes
So let's get this right
(See you on the other side)
If we get this right
(See you on the other side)
Or if we all go down
(See you on the other side)
If we get this right
(See you on the other side)
Or if we drown
(I'll see you on the other side)

     “No Parachutes” by OWEL


     “Weather Report” shows OWEL’s skills in showgaze. It also includes arguably (we would argue) the best two minutes on “Paris.” Beginning at 2:44, the poetry in the lyrics, the inspiration from the almost penitent decision that “I’d join you,” and the masterful use of instruments contribute to the justification for declaring that the two minutes are extraordinary:
I heard the news and it's not good
They say the monsters are loose
And the city's on fire
But seeing you dance in the smoke
Waving your arms like a beautiful idiot
Makes me believe in the hopes of a day
I'd join you
     “Weather Report” by OWEL


    “Roma White” is another song that must be noticed. The piano, strings and vocals are individually beautifully dignified and are collectively moving. The percussion emphasis that we praise on other songs from “Paris” is missing from the early portions of “Roma White,” allowing a listener to fully appreciate the talents of the guitarists. By the time the percussion becomes more forceful, the guitars have already established their positions of dominance.

     “Roma White” by OWEL


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