Some Covers from Yawn Mower

Yawn Mower at The Saint in August 2015.

"Little Honda" / "Lust for Life"

I was one of those in attendance to witness the first-ever public performance by Asbury Park duo Yawn Mower back in August. Mike Chick (baritone guitar) and Biff Swenson (drums) bring the sometimes surfy / sometimes garage-y noise along with lots of hair. To ring in 2016, Yawn Mower have released a pair of covers for free download via their Bandcamp page.

The pair give us two songs that, coincidentally, rank very, very highly on my list of personal favorites. First up is a noisy and distorted take on The Beach Boys' "Little Honda" that owes a great deal to the version Yo La Tengo had on their 1997 masterpiece, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. I absolutely wore that CD out when CoolMom and I were living in Seattle in the late 90s. Next we get one of my all-time favorites in Girls' "Lust for Life." Imagine Dinosaur Jr. playing that one and you've got the idea of what's going on here.

Check out / download both songs and check out Yawn Mower live next month when they play APYC on February 20th.

New Solo Music from Christopher Owens

Lysandre

I expressed my sadness earlier this year following the announcement that Christopher Owens had decided it was time to leave Girls.  I loved that band's first two albums, especially Father, Son, Holy Ghost; and I've been looking forward to what Owens would do next.

Well, today he announced that his first solo album, Lysandre, will be coming out January 14th on Turnstile Music.  He also started streaming the first music from that record at Soundcloud.  "Lysandre's Theme / Here We Go" definitely contains all of the emotion of Owens's work with girls, but it's wrapped in a slightly more delicate package.

See for yourself over at Turnstile's Soundcloud.

Kind of in Mourning Right Now

Christopher Owens  Leaves Girls

Over the last several years, San Francisco's Girls have been one of my favorite acts.  With two albums -- Album and the unbelievable Father, Son, Holy Ghost -- and the Broken Dreams Club EP to their credit, Girls melded the sounds of Elvis Costello, The Beach Boys, and even Pink Floyd to produce a small catalog that I'm sure will be viewed as essential for years to come.

Christopher Owens announced via his Twitter feed today that he is leaving the band he formed with Chet "JR" White, saying his "reasons at this time are personal."  He promises to continue making music, but it remains to be seen what form that will take.

For now, join me in a tiny bit of mourning for the loss of what Owens and White produced together and in hoping that everything works out for both of them.