Inner Song jettisoned Kelly Lee Owens into the spotlight this summer as her latest release garnered a new cult following and won widespread admiration from electronic music enthusiasts. This album has perhaps shaped the way in which thousands of people have coped with the challenges posed this year. The sound that she cultivates is characterized by softness and fantasy. Full of lullaby melodies, surging rhythms, and unique analogue distortions, Owens opens up a whole world of possibilities for this unlikely interstitial space between techno and dream pop. She gives over something of herself as an artist so transparently and authentically, it is instantly transfixing.
“Arpeggi” offers an uncanny techno cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.” In doing so, she strips down the song’s triplet guitar phrase into an electronic sound, evolving the phrase in currents against minimal bass hits that chase the melody. Her minimalism has the effect of highlighting the unique distortions employed throughout. It is easy to get lost in the overall sound and forget that it’s a cover at all. Arpeggi is probably the most defining example of Owens’ distinct sound that is at once quirky and tranquil.
“Jeanette” is similar in its unending rhythmic flow. Start counting the beats and you will find it as frustrating as trying to find the end of a roll of clear packing tape. But the track is not belabored. Despite its melancholy opening, the minimal beats turn it into a hearty dance track. I’ve actually started using Jeanette as my alarm– it works because I would rather stay awake listening to the song rather than hitting snooze. Eye-opening to say the least, Inner Song will surely be a classic for years to come.
-Lina Xing
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