Owls

Owls originated in 2001 when a circle of longtime collaborators, whose shared history reached back to high school, broke away from an established network of ambitious rock projects. Those same players had first performed together in Cap'n Jazz, where they delivered urgent, vocal-driven melodic emo that stayed largely unnoticed during the band's brief run yet found a wide audience after its scattered 7"s and sole LP were reissued in the late '90s. Once Cap'n Jazz ended, the musicians moved into separate ventures that included the experimental electronic indie of Joan of Arc as well as the tuneful emo-pop of the Promise Ring, American Football, Ghosts and Vodka, and related groups. Owls took shape following a short-lived breakup of Joan of Arc, which reassembled Tim Kinsella, Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal, and Sam Zurick for the first time since their Cap'n Jazz days. The new band stepped away from the intense hardcore and emo approach of their youth, favoring instead elaborate song forms, restless guitar figures, and the increasingly personal, wordplay-heavy lyrics of vocalist Tim Kinsella. They tracked their self-titled debut with noted indie producer Steve Albini; Jade Tree Records released the album in 2001. A handful of shows followed before the group dissolved: Mike Kinsella exited to concentrate on his solo project Owen, Chicago mainstay Ryan Rapsys took over on drums, and Owls formally ended in 2002. Joan of Arc later reformed, Owen continued steadily, and other projects emerged from the extended Cap'n Jazz circle. In 2010 the core lineup, augmented by guitarist Davey von Bohlen, unexpectedly reconvened for a Cap'n Jazz reunion tour; that development soon led to an Owls reunion as well. Beginning in 2012 the band spent an extended stretch writing and recording, eventually entering the studio to complete Two, its first album in 13 years, which Polyvinyl Records issued in early 2014.