Review: Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP
November 29th, 2010
Need to Know: Despite my bias against Girls for being the most un-google-able band ever, I have decided to put it aside in order to revere in their genius. Painstaking research has seemed to pay off however, because the biography of frontman Christopher Owens has lead me to infer that the immediate success of Girls is a reflection of the chaotic nature of Owens’ own life. He grew up around the world in the Children of God cult with his single mother who had to prostitute herself and allowed her eldest son to die in infancy because the cult was against medicine. Later, Owens was coined a “problem child” and subsequently ran away to the States to become a gutter punk, soon finding himself at a famous artist’s ranch in Texas, until eventually joining Holy Shit with Ariel Pink. Suffice to say, the dramatic turn of events of Girls’ stardom after their critically acclaimed album ‘Album’, only seems fitting.
In 100 Words Or So: In a handwritten letter, Christopher Owens refers to ‘Broken Dreams Club’ as a “a snapshot of the horizon”. Indeed, the six track EP is assurance of the positive direction in which Girls are heading. ‘Broken Dreams Club’ is a clear indication of their talent for creating sincere tracks like 50’s opener “The Oh So Protective One” with its Costello-esque vocals. Despite the unfortunate likeness to Conor Oberst in the title track “Broken Dreams Club”, the EP is saved by the upbeat yet melancholic “Alright” and the seven-minute long instrumental closer “Carolina”. Though there is no equivalent for “Lust for Life”, the EP’s single is easily “Heartbreaker”, a hybrid of “Summertime” and “Laura” off ‘Album’, which lends a tone of familiarity.
Best Track: Heartbreaker
RIYL: Elvis Costello, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Wavves, No Age, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Rating: 9/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy
Website: http://www.truepanther.com/#/artists/girls
Tags: Album, Broken Dreams Club EP, Girls, Review
Posted on Monday, November 29th, 2010 at 12:48 pm by Arianne - Correspondent and is filed under Reviews.
