“The Kinsella Sound” isn’t something you can really describe; you just know it when you hear it. For years the Kinsella brothers have been making some of the most influential music to come out of the Midwest, most notably in Cap’N Jazz, American Football and Joan Of Arc. Yet one of the most beloved projects is that of Mike Kinsella, who has put out countless records under his pseudonym, Owen.
Rather than follow a straightforward singer-songwriter path, the intricate arrangement of each Owen album is virtually unrivalled. While often imitated, no one has ever been able to quite match the style of Mike Kinsella. Following on from the previous Owen record, ‘Other Peoples Songs’, which saw Kinsella put his own twist on tracks from Depeche Mode to Against Me!, he has now returned with his ninth studio album, ‘The King Of Whys.’
Musically, ‘The King Of Whys’ is very much what you expect from an Owen record, but as always, it avoids being predictable. The production of S. Carey, whose credits include Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, has enhanced Kinsella’s sonic palette. Pedal steel swoons in the background, amongst subtle horns and weeping strings, complimenting the lightly picked guitar playing of Kinsella.
As the title of the album suggests, it is both introspective and searching for answers. Asking “Why?” has resulted in some of Kinsella’s bleakest material to date, even if it is shrouded by the delicate and beautiful nature of Owen’s music. The bombastic drumbeat that carries the opening track, ‘Empty Bottle’, tackles the ills of alcohol and its effects, and Kinsella examines the consequences of his father’s own vices on ‘A Burning Soul.’
As Kinsella has grown up the songs have grown with him. In his mid twenties stories told were those of a young man finding himself. Now a husband and father, he examines his life in great detail through ‘Lovers Come and Go’ and the mesmerising ‘Saltwater.’ The album then comes to a close with the brooding and at times haunting track, ‘Lost’, which is the perfect summary of the record, as Kinsella looks for both rebirth and redemption.
While not a traditional record about heartbreak, ‘The King Of Whys’ is an emotional journey. It is caustic in some places and comforting in others. Each track is filled with heart-on-sleeve honesty, and woven in the unique way that only Mike Kinsella can.
GLEN BUSHELL