Lysandre

Splitting up the well-regarded indie duo Girls after just two albums and an EP, Christopher Owens has wasted no time releasing a musically eclectic solo album that should satisfy longtime fans. Gentle guitars and soothing flutes turns "A Broken Heart" into a tune worthy of The Zombies' Colin Blunstone. "Part of Me" sounds as if Curt Boettcher's ghost visited the sessions. "Here We Go Again" features retro keyboards and nasty psychedelic guitars twisting in the wind. The bouncy pop and reflective singer/songwriter moments are the best that Lysandre has to offer. However, the oddball spots flesh things out in unlikely ways. "Riviera Rock" throws together a reggae instrumental that highlights a slightly humorous saxophone, which sounds like Owens found it on a late-'70s yacht rock album. The brief instrumental bits—"Lysandre's Theme," "Closing Theme"—repeat a pleasant but slight melody.