No Good For No One Now

Album review

Picking up where his self-titled debut left off, No Good for No One Now is Mike Kinsella's second album under the Owen moniker. The seven tunes lay out on the table for all to see Kinsella's self-deprecation in the tenderest form: an album dedicated to his feelings of worthlessness and frustration about a lost relation. With song titles such as "Nobody's Nothing" and "The Ghost of What Should've Been," it's quite clear that Kinsella's not letting anyone in for 40 minutes of upbeat joy. Rather, displaying raw honesty that parallels some of the better Red House Painters or Mark Kozelek moments, Kinsella takes the listener through song after song of the one that got away. "Poor Souls" talks of lonely nights in a bar looking for that perfect one, but instead heading home alone. "Everyone Feels Like You" serves as a reminder that indeed, there are others out there with the same broken heart as yours, so the best thing to do is to get together, have some drinks, and realize that you're all in this together. The epic final tune, "Take Care of Yourself," is a ten-minute-long song in which the singer recognizes his failures in the relationship and makes a plea for his ex-girlfriend to stay. The tunes are all gently woven with sensitive acoustic guitar and light drums. Throughout the majority of the song "Good Deeds," the guitar is played with harp-like delicacy, creating a heavenly atmosphere more elegant than anything else displayed on the album. For the rest of the songs, everything is kept simple, as it's the vocals and the lyrics behind them that are meant to be the focus of the album. Mike Kinsella may not be as well known as his older brother, Tim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Owls, Cap'n Jazz), but it's quite irrelevant since Mike is creating beautifully introspective music in his own right. No Good for No One Now is no doubt another big step down the path to success for Owen.

© Kurt Morris /TiVo