Girls (I Wrote This Post. All of It)

Had I been aware of Album immediately following its September release, it would most likely have made my 2009 Best Of List, alongside The Xx, Visqueen, Tinted Windows (shut it), Heartless Bastards and Jarvis Cocker. But alas, it is only very recently that I have discovered Girls. (Wait, what?) This must be terrible news for Christopher Owens - the songwriting half of the group - but I'm sure he'll find a way to struggle through and make some sense of this cruel, indifferent world ...

Yes, it would have made my list, but Girls's first LP would have taken a rather circuitous path getting there. Just like Transference, something about Album kept tugging my sleeve, and I would find myself listening to it again just when I thought we were done. This went on for at least two weeks before I finally, begrudgingly acknowledged its greatness.

The New York Times describes Girls's sound as a combination of Elvis Costello, Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys, but I would also throw in a favorable comparison to Sonic Youth ("Morning Light," at least) and Jesus & Mary Chain. Oh it's pop alright, but the production - courtesy of the other half of Girls, Chet "JR" White - lovingly wraps these sweet confections in a blanket of shimmery reverb, making them sound (to me, anyway) oddly familiar.

I am required by The Elders Of The Internet to mention that Owens grew up in the Children of God cult, striking out on his own when he was 16. There is, in fact, a thoroughly fascinating interview with Owens at FAQMagazine about this very topic, which you can find here.

So even though you can't Find Them Purely by searching Google, you should still check them out.