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Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost - label

After the release of their debut in 2009, critics had lots of nice things to say about the San Francisco band Girls. Here’s a band that came with a strong DIY attitude, wore their influences proudly and penned songs that surely connected with audiences. On Father, Son, Holy Ghost the band’s second full album, it’s hard not to echo those praises yet again. Frontman Christopher Owens and band have recorded an album that lives in the present, but brings with it a comfortable feel of the past.



While Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the band’s second album it will surely still be an introduction to many. And it is a great place to start as you get to know this band. What you quickly learn to love about Girls is how honest the band is. Start with Owens. He’s as direct a lyricist as you’ll find and addresses personal topics like love and sadness head-on. Whether he’s yearning for hope on a song like “Forgiveness” or trying to figure out how to move on from a relationship in a song like “Saying I Love You,” Owens is anything but cryptic. For a songwriter to totally give himself up, like you hear on these songs, well its hard not to applaud such openness.

The more you dive into this album, the more promise you hear. Even in comparison to their debut, the band has evolved their sound dramatically. The addition of guitarist John Anderson opens up a song like “Vomit” (more appealing than the title suggests) with a shredding guitar solo. Seven of the albums tracks even feature a 3 piece gospel choir. The band proves to be versatile on Father, Son, Holy Ghost and at the same time worthy of all the praise.

Buy XPN's Featured Album of the Week Father, Son, Holy Ghost at Amazon.com. Your purchase that starts here, benefits WXPN.