When you have a band called Girls and a debut album called Album, I'd say that it is a little bit difficult to make the announcement about the release. I mean… The boys from Girls had just released their first album, called Album – how does that sound? Yes, you got it. It sounds interesting enough to make you want to listen to their songs. Hell, some guys who call their band Girls should have all the appreciation they can get, right?
Album has twelve tracks, almost each and every single one of them being about women. Or maybe we should say girls, just to match. On Lust For Life, the first song, frontman Christopher Owens points back to his own life as a former member of Children of God cult, raised without a father. So it's not much of a surprise these are not happy songs. To use a cliché, when it comes about relationships nothing is simple, and there's never a single person to blame, as Owens admits several times, most noticeable on Laura, where he sings about his girlfriend being a "bitch" and about him being an "ass". The sincerity of his words and his apparently relaxed voice keep the lyrics away from becoming too sentimental (and thus annoying). The sadness is not pushed in the front; it is carefully hidden. It's like when you smile, being in terrible pain at the same time.
The sound is more elaborate that you could think at first listening, when you just tend to move your head to the rhythm of music. Someone played with those instruments and made a damn good job. The guitar parts are simply stunning, even if they build an introspective atmosphere (Hellhole Retrace) or a "let's party" one (Big Bad Mean Mother Fucker). This album must be listened to on headphones, to completely appreciate the sound's quality and complexity, as some details might be hidden at a normal listening.
And that's how, at the end, you wonder: "Was this really a debut album?" Yes, it was. It just happened to be a really good one.
*photo courtesy of Matador Records official site.
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