speed of dark

The Owls are four friends from Minneapolis, three of them songwriters, two of them librarians. Maria May and Allison LaBonne do most of the vocals as well as play guitar and keyboards and write songs. LaBonne's husband, Brian Tighe, does all that too, and he and Allinson are the librarians. John Jerry plays drums.

The Owls' music will not inspire you to leap up in the morning, energized and ready to jog a few miles before your first latte. No, their music is for lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering why you let that last doomed love into your life in the first place. It is quiet and reflective and utterly charming.

I am so drawn to these deceptively simple and low-key songs. Listen carefully to the lyrics of "Air" and you'll find a clever running stream of images, alternating between the two voices of May and LaBonne. I painstakingly played the song about 50 times to transcribe the lyrics:

No head no heart no hurry no hate no fun no muss no city no state
No card no kin no call no kiss no book no bread no hit no miss
No juice no laugh no love no sin
No hand to put my handshake in
No header no footer no girl no boy no good no better no touch no toy
There is only air
Where I used to care

"City Girl" is slower and more austere, leaving the intertwining voices to hold their own backed up only by simple piano.

Although compared to the Mamas and the Papas (not sure I agree with that one) and Belle and Sebastian (that reference is clearer), I also hear a kinship with a less-strident Aimee Mann in Maria May's conversational phrasing. The overall impression may be closer to Azure Ray.

The Owls appeared last year at South By Southwest, and they are currently working on their second CD, which is due to be released sometime in 2007. Meanwhile, there are a couple of short demos on their website to tantalize.

Air
City Girl

Upcoming shows:
Feb. 3 - House of Rock, Eau Claire, WI
Feb. 23 - 318 Cafe, Excelsior, MN
Feb. 24 - Turf Club, St. Paul, MN

The Owls': website | Buy Our Hopes and Dreams