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booking: label: web administrator: Sign up for the owls' email list to receive information about upcoming shows and other treats.
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City
Pages feature All
Music Pitchfork
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| Better Propaganda review of Our Hopes and Dreams, Natalya Minkhova | |
| "Sunny, pretty,
sexy ambient-pop from co-vocalists Maria May and Allison LaBonne
and the latter's husband, Brian Tighe of Hang-Ups fame. It's like
Stereolab melded with the Kinks' Village Green." |
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| "With
its jaunty verses and wistful choruses, opening track "Air",
feels as if it descended from the clouds. The seven songs that follow
traffic in similarly fragile beauty, and after a total of 25 minutes,
the Owls fly away, leaving listeners wanting more." St. Paul Pioneer Press |
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| Review
of Our Hopes And Dreams "The Owls' debut is a charming, easy-going indie pop record that will have you reaching for comparisons to such indie pop greats as Heavenly, Small Factory and Belle & Sebastian..."Tim Sendra, All Music Guide |
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| Review of Our Hopes and Dreams, Pitchfork Media | |
| The Owls performed on "Higher Ground: with Jonathan Overby", a Wisconsin Public Radio variety hour shows. Listen here to the show, which includes "All Those in Favor", "Isaac Bashevis Singer", and "Apocalypse". | |
| "Without ruling out the possibility that Ray Davies and Mo Tucker might one day form an acoustic pop band, savor the Owls for now. The Minneapolis boy-girl-boy-girl group sings so prettily, their sound seems meant for a concert under the trees. -Peter S. Scholtes, City Pages | |
| Review of Our Hopes and Dreams, San Francisco Weekly. | |
| Feature by Chuck Terhark, Pioneer Press | |
| Review of Our Hopes and Dreams, Seattle Weekly | |
| "The Owls all share song credits on their debut release, though it's clear that despite holding their own as individual songwriters, they've come together in service to their shared high brow pop chops. It's a subtle and reserved catchiness, which begins on the first track, carving a featherweight groove into your head upon first listen..." popmatters.com | |
| Interview with Rob VanAlstyne, Pulse Twin Cities Magazine | |
| Interview with Chris Roberts, KNOW FM 91.1FM | |
| Review of 03.13.04 CD Release Show @ howwastheshow.com. | |
| Review of Our Hopes And Dreams, by Dmitra Daisy, friendsoftheheroes.co.uk. | |
| "Sounding like Stereolab without the digital gear or Nico without the accent, the Owls officially make due on year-old local buzz with their new EP, "Our Hopes and Dreams." The happily somber quartet - which includes Hang Ups frontman Brian Tighe and former Legendary Jim Ruiz Group collaborator Allison LaBonne - bravely experiments with odd tunings and off-kilter arrangements on the eight-song collection. Piano-fueled tracks like "Do Ya?" and "Drop Me a Line" don't sacrifice pleasant melodies for arty flair, though, and show off LaBonne's and co-vocalist Maria May's bittersweet harmonizing skills. " Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune, 03.11.04 | |
| "Our Hopes and Dreams is Slowdive's Souvlaki on a budget, the usual effects-pedal swirl-und-drang swapped out in favor of featherweight guitars and gently-brushed drums. openers "Air" and "Do Ya?" (breathily sung by guitarists/pianists Maria May and Allison Labonne, respectively) seem like weightless, ephemeral lullabies at first, but are anchored by subtly solid piano/drum arrangements that reveal themselves after repeated listens. May's "Luck" mixes the fragility of Cat Power's Chan Marshall with OK Computer's melancholy grandeur. The boy Owls' tracks are even more impressive than the girls'. Brian Tighe's "Forever Changing" sways with an "Across the Universe"-style wistfulness, while ex-Owl Stephen Ittner crams "Even Now", his sole contribution, with more quality blissed-out Beatlephilia than Noel Gallagher scrapes together for an entire album. - Steve English splendidezine | |
| "One word can change everything. In this case, it's simply the word 'the' that distinguishes Minneapolis pop quartet the Owls from Chicago's ex-Cap'n Jazz/Joan of Arc art rockers, the more succinctly titled 'Owls'. Do take note: Owls are odd, angular, arty, and obtuse, while THE Owls are warm, earnestly sweet, and absolutely lovely. Playfully collaborative (swapping instruments and songwriting like musical chairs), the Owls effortlessly float through songs that refer to a diverse set of influences, from the Beatles to Stereolab and Low, all without any jarring disconnections. Strings, acoustic guitars, lush vocal layers, piano, and synthesizers weave in and out of clever, catchy, delicately built powerhouses. Brian Tighe's early-McCartney-esque 'Forever Changing' is as pure as an homage can be, built with such devotion and accuracy it's chilling. Clearly, when referring to owls, it's all about the 'the'". Corianton Hale, The Seattle Weekly | |
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| "The Owls have the kind of pop beauty usually described as "delicate," but really, they're about as dainty as OutKast. In its quiet, acoustic way, "Do Ya?" is as radical as "Hey Ya," with Brian Tighe's bass slinking funkily under Allison LaBonne's two-word chorus and Maria May's weird harmony. These three are each distinctive singers unafraid of pushing their voices just past the edge of their abilities, and unconcerned about sounding as if these songs just occurred to them. The Owls' forthcoming eponymous EP on Magic Marker Records is their coming-out party--modest and overwhelming at once. And it reflects a debt to the tender side of the Velvet Underground that makes this multimedia Pop Art event a perfect match." THE A-LIST, CityPages | |
| "Allison LaBonne, ... former member of the Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, turns out to be the secret weapon of the best Minneapolis pop band since the Blue Up?" PICKED TO CLICK, CityPages |
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Daughters and Suns
14 songs, Magic
Marker Records, 2007
(click titles to listen)
The
Way On
Yellow Flowers
Welcome to Monday
Peppermint Patty
All Those In Favor
The Lucky Ones
Apocalypse
Peaceful Place
Bury Your Mind
Airplane
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Little Stranger
Black Hands of Time
Channel
Our Hopes and Dreams
(click titles to listen)
Forever Changing
Baby Boy
City Girl
Drop Me a Line
Air
Luck
Even Now
Friends
with Benefits
Minor
7 Studios, 2005
Songs from Scratch project
Honors
Minnesota Music Award:
"Air" wins Critic's
and Industry Choice Award for Best Song of 2004.
St. Paul Pioneer Press: Our Hopes and Dreams
voted #2 best local record of the year. 2004.
Minneapolis
Star Tribune: Our Hopes and Dreams
voted #4 best local record of the year.