Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

2011 is truly a year that won’t be forgotten in terms of music, in February Arcade Fire won a Grammy for album of the year with The Suburbs, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem decided to call it quits and Bob Dylan celebrated his 70th birthday. This has also been a year where artists have embraced a more retro sound to their musical repertoire, San Francisco’s Girls, return with yet another solid release after their highly acclaimed debut in 2009 with Album, and last year’s follow-up EP Broken Dreams Club. While their music absconds with such ease from the past without contrition they produce a sound that welcoming and unique.

After the first listen of Father, Son, Holy Ghost the initial reaction consisted of an unearthly sense of familiarity. The songs feel as though they are part of some forgotten dream, a suppressed memory, even tracking down the exact sounds that are being referenced at times can be a bit distressing. On “Honey Bunny” Christopher Owens’ vocals follow a similar pattern to that of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You”; “My Ma” which has a similar structure to that of The Beatles “While My Guitar Gently weeps” where “Magic” is arranged in a way that embellishes the quirky side of Elvis Costello.

While Father, Son, Holy Ghost does a faithful interpretation of the past; it’s Owens’ vocals that bring the record to life. Owens seems to have a powerful gift in that he knows the deep and powerful emotions that define us. His songwriting jumps from acoustic ballads (which personally I think are his main strength) to the more lively and upbeat Indian summer anthems. The fact that he does this with such ease makes Girls sound completely fresh and relevant even if their music sounds like a complete archive of almost fifty years of music. Vocally Owens has moved away for sounding like an Elvis Costello clone, and focuses on a warmer approach where at time he starts sounding almost like Elliott Smith.

What makes Father different from Album, is the effortless transition from song to song, telling a continuous tale of heartbreak and sexual frustration that at times cleanses the soul. The albums closing track “Jamie Marie” which acts as final act of apology for all the mistakes he’s made to a lover that has come and gone. While the album feels as though nothing has fully changed in terms of sound, one thing is certain is that it has, the way these songs are executed define Girls as a versatile band that can take something that has been done before and craft it in a way that sounds entirely new.