Meet Owen. Meet Mike. Owen is Mike. Mike is Owen.
Besides fronting the emo group American Football and playing in some of Chicago’s biggest indie rock bands (see: Joan of Arc, Cap’N Jazz and the Owls) Mike Kinsella also releases his own tunes under the pseudonym Owen. However, don’t be fooled by the host of other projects Kinsella has his hands in; Owen shows the stripped-down almost-folky side of this indie rock leader.
No Good For No Once Now is the second album released under Owen, and truly puts Kinsella’s heart out on a golden platter. While most of the arrangements in the songs are just stripped down to voice and guitar, this album strays a lot more into more orchestrated lines than the previous self-titled album.
While this is another album that makes me feel like I’m getting older, Kinsella shows that you don’t have to be in people’s faces to grab their attention. In fact, if more discs like this were released, I would have no problem growing old.