Owen American Football a little credit

New father and jack-of-many previous bands, Mike Kinsella released his fifth Owen album, "New Leaves," on September 22. The ten-track record, released by Polyvinyl, displays a more reserved and structured Owen that resembles his work with American Football.

The title track, "New Leaves," opens the album with a soft instrumental portion as Kristina Dutton plays the violin alongside Kinsella's gentle croon. The quiet lull of Dutton's violin accompanies a simple plucking and strumming rhythm as the lyrics cue. Kinsella's signature crescendo pattern carries the track through a solid introduction of what the remaining nine tracks offer.

Ever observant, Kinsella also becomes reflective of his buddies with, "Good Friends, Bad Habits." Supported by a consistent foot-tapping cadence from a drum machine, Kinsella acknowledges his gained maturity when he sings, "Sometimes, like every time a train passes I get jealous of the long nights, the blurred lights, the red eyes, and bar fights." It becomes understood that Kinsella is moving forward with his music and life.

Dutton's drawling violin lingers steadily in the background of, " A Trenchant Critique." Stripped down with only guitar, violin and Andy Rader's Stand Up Bass, the track is one of the albums simplified highlights as the violin carries the song through a whispered taper in its completion.

"Never Been Born" and "Amnesia and Me" are two killer compositions that appear to draw a strong influence from Kinsella's American Football days. Heavily laced with violins and feedback on "Amnesia and Me," each track shares similarities towards a new progression for Owen.

Bringing the album back towards its expected sound is, "Brown Hair in a Birds Nest." Slow and wandering with guitar, Kinsella strums along gently as the track moves into the addition of Rader on Stand Up Bass and Gillian Lisee humming in the background. Becoming noisy as the instruments culminate into one melody, the energy of its build dissipates equally as quickly as the initial rise in volume.

Tracks seven and eight, "Too Scared to Move" and "The Only Child of Aergia," loose some of the albums initial charm. The large use violin and feedback become redundant, making the tracks sound similar and less developed.

The slow, yet catchy "Ugly on the Inside" makes for a large rebuttal against the previous two tracks. As the song gains momentum, the brief piano from Kinsella's cousin, Nate Kinsella, harmonizes well with Kinsella's playing. Waning out of the track, the guitar remains upbeat as it slowly fades away.

Light drums begin the album closer, "Curtain Call." A relaxed guitar build brings the lyrics up where Kinsella becomes reflective of past performances as he sings, "People used to pay to watch me sing and play, but it seems more and more they come to spit in my face." One of the better-orchestrated pieces, Kinsella again, touches on the sounds of his American Football glory days. The addition Dutton's violin creates a well-assembled melody to close Owen's latest effort.

Released on both CD and Vinyl, "New Leaves" is an album that takes several spins to appreciate, though it’s certainly worth the listen. Presenting itself with the qualms of becoming a father and husband, it is clear that Kinsella is moving Owen in a more sophisticated direction, while keeping the basic ingredients intact.