Owl - Chants (The Vibrations in the Streets Keep Me Weak in the Knees)

  by Fiona Hutchings

published: 11 / 8 / 2010

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Review

Canadian duo Vanessa Murnagham and Matthew Macdonald have fused Dubstar with a pinch of Air and add a dash of Belle minus Sebastian, some Mouldy Peaches and their own secret ingredient to produce a quirky but not unique take on indie synth pop. There is a sense of quiet discord all the way through. For example, opening track 'Morning Eyes' is a mere 1 minute and 48 seconds, but the track length on the EP is uneven with the final track 'Travels' at the other end of the spectrum at 7 minutes 18 seconds. Subtlety is under- rated but occasionally the laid back vibe is in danger of crossing over into inertia. 'Sandi with an I's Song' and 'Roadtrip' both require concentration from the listener to avoid fading away into background noise. Thankfully 'She Is' picks the tempo up again and not even the Casio meets Atari sound effects on 'Goodbye Bye' detracts from the enjoyment. All in all an album that is closer to the dinner party background music slot previously occupied by Dido than the deep hooks of Moby. Owl shows great promise they just need a bigger injection of the energy that shows up in the last 90 seconds of 'Travels'

Track Listing:-

1 Morning Eyes
2 Airport
3 Sandi With an I's Song
4 Roadtrip
5 She Is
6 Goodbye Bye
7 Travels