Ever the Silver Cord be Loosed

Weird Owl

(Teepee)

The bodies of the musicians in Weird Owl may be located in modern day Brooklyn, but their spirits are somewhere on the Wyoming or Montana frontier a couple hundred years ago. Relapsing into past lives is just something that Weird Owl does on their first full-length album, Ever the Silver Cord be Loosed. The term alt-country retro-psychedlic rock may sound like it’s trying too hard, but it’s actually a pretty accurate description of Weird Owl’s style. But if you want something shorter, you could just say “Neil Young-like” (and there’s nothing wrong with that).

Actually, Weird Owl is not so much weird as they are individualistic, despite sounding a lot like a Neil Young jam session. They’ve got heavy bluesy guitars that combine swirling textures with spacey melodies. “Skeletopathing” is one of the most upbeat songs, taking a mind-expanding journey through the past accompanied by the lyrics “Take my hands, I don’t need them. Take my eyes, I can’t see. Take my flesh, I can’t feel it.”

Despite the thirst for “other side” adventures, it seems that Weird Owl isn’t seeking escape from a depressing modern world as much as that they’ve completely eliminated any distinction between here and there, then and now, or anything concrete. The lyrics on “13 Arrows, 13 Stars” show this feeling, as Trevor Tyrrell sings, “I am not me, I’m everyone…I am not here, I’m everywhere.” Later, at the Battle of Little Bighorn, “I’ve traveled many lifetimes just to be here for this evening.” It’s familiarly odd, like a happy lunatic who we can all identify with.

Although it’s a little weird, Weird Owl doesn’t pull out any experimental tricks, nor do they try too hard to modernize their sound. If you’re feeling a little nostalgic for the full, heavy psychedelic sprawl that goes back a few years, Weird Owl will take you there (and beyond).