The King Of Whys
Owen / The King Of Whys / 2016 / PRC-316
I think it is safe for me to say that Owen will justifiably sit as a top five artist for me. I’ve been slowly collecting his music for nearly 10 years now and I’m only a few albums short of owning the entire discography. The culmination of deep and witty lyrics, relatable themes, brilliant guitar playing, and soothing orchestrations is what makes it uniquely Owen and why he is consistently replayed in my household. His music is personal, introspective, and emotionally driven and I’m a sucker for all three. The beauty of it all is that it can be listened to intently or in the background while you’re trying to fall asleep - it works both ways.
Owen’s releases always serve as a form of catharsis and The King Of Whys is no exception. Marking Mike Kinsella’s ninth full length release, the album circles around one main theme - coming to terms with turning 40 years old and the thoughts, desires, and questions that envelop with it. The King Of Whys feels familiar as Kinsella invokes his ingenious finger-picked guitar lines and profound lyrics. But it also feels new and more mature as he speaks on subjects such as being a husband, father, and drinker with sonic additions from guest studio musicians and producer Sean Carey. The Desperate Act (which stands as my favorite track) has Mike coming to realization with his wife (now ex) that he may not be as committed to their marriage as he may have thought. The pedal steel, viola, and trombone interlace in and out of the background, similarly to how his relationship is fading. Kinsella’s final lines “You were right babe. I love how you know me. And I know how you love me. And I know how you long for this song to end” are ironic as the music continues for an additional minute after. A Burning Soul stands as another crucial track as Mike confronts his harsh feelings about his father being an alcoholic and passing away too soon. It’s another song about realization that as Kinsella has aged, his anger has changed to sympathy and understanding as he sees that he is just like his dad - but he’s determined to not let it negatively affect his own children. The track is full of classic Owen electric guitar loops with tom rack fills as Mike exclaims “Now I’ve got a burning soul - what now? Both ends of my prayer candle are burned out. In my defense I was raised by a blind man on fire. Who was raised to lip-sync in his church choir. So I’m not a saint and I’m not a singer”. Album closer Lost almost serves as Mike’s alter-ego in a parallel universe - a “what if” based on his own past. It’s full of pizzicato strings and viola as Mike strums his acoustic and lays his wandering thoughts.
The King Of Whys was produced by the one and only Sean Carey (S. Carey, Bon Iver). Album illustrations created by Melina Ausikaitis. The vinyl variant I own of this record is one of my favorites from Polyvinyl - 180G, Red / Yellow Starburst. If you enjoy The King of Whys I also recommend checking out Owen’s The Avalanche and American Football’s LP2.
