Name: Kelly Lee Owens [LP]
Brand: Smalltown Supersound
SKU: 138241838
Price: 31.03 GBP
Availability: InStock

Performer Notes

Summing up Kelly Lee Owens' solo output to date, her self-titled debut full-length mixes a handful of previously released singles with newer tracks, drifting between dream pop, trip-hop, and atmospheric techno. Rarely does any track stick to one style; they'll often start off detached and tentative before a snapping 4/4 beat kicks in halfway through. The Jenny Hval-sung "Anxi." does this, starting out as ethereal pop before flipping to thumping minimal techno. "Lucid" sums the album up nicely, beginning with subdued waves of synth strings and Owens' pleading vocals ("Different from the rest, don't you see it? Somewhere in between, lucid, lucid"). Eventually a ticking beat and arpeggios kick in, and Owens' voice repeating the word "lucid" seem to dissipate into the night air. Some songs are more lyrically focused, while others (such as Arthur Russell tribute "Arthur") utilize Owens' soft voice as an instrument. A few exotic instruments color the shadowy synths and sighing vocals, from the tablas of opener "S.O." to the thump pianos of "Bird" to the droning tambura during the cosmic mantra "8" that concludes the album. The album's poppiest moment is "Throwing Lines," which has an oddly sugary vocal melody, but it's set to downcast throbbing. Previously released track "C.B.M." is more propulsive, sticking to a hypnotic minimal groove while Owens sporadically repeats something about colors between motion. "Keep Walking" sounds like a deliberate homage to Massive Attack's "Teardrop," with a slow, crackling beat and breezy Elizabeth Fraser-esque vocals. Owens' album seems a bit scattered and all over the place, but its sense of dream logic is intriguing, and its best moments are captivating. ~ Paul Simpson

Professional Reviews

NME (Magazine) - "[H]er self-titled solo debut is a journey through house, techno, ambient sounds, indie and pop. On each track, Owens breaks new ground on her unpredictable album."

Clash (Magazine) - "Combining the atmospherics of hazy synth-lines and subaqueous vocals with a charged rhythmic pulse that readies her tracks for the club, she has carved a unique space for herself in the electronic field..."

Album: Kelly Lee Owens [LP]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	S.O.	More Info...
2)	Arthur	More Info...
3)	Anxi (Feat. Jenny Hval)	More Info...
4)	Lucid	More Info...
5)	Evolution	More Info...
6)	Bird	More Info...
7)	Throwing Lines	More Info...
8)	CBM	More Info...
9)	Keep Walking	More Info...
10)	8	More Info...

Album: Kelly Lee Owens [LP]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	S.O.	More Info...
2)	Arthur	More Info...
3)	Anxi (Feat. Jenny Hval)	More Info...
4)	Lucid	More Info...
5)	Evolution	More Info...
6)	Bird	More Info...
7)	Throwing Lines	More Info...
8)	CBM	More Info...
9)	Keep Walking	More Info...
10)	8	More Info...