“What if I’m just a bad songwriter/ and everything I say has been said before.” After breaking up indie darlings Girls, Christopher Owens is in a rut of self-doubt and longs to be understood. Contextually deeper and more rewarding than initial reviews had it, Lysandre is an act of exhumation — Owens takes the “only way out is through” approach to heartache and damaged nostalgia, taking us on a journey through the limits of what you can do with the key of A major. “Here We Go” and “Love Is In The Ear of The Listener” are bleeding heart ballads nestled amongst goofy instrumental “Riviera Rock,” the honking Velvets homage “New York City,” and a song-after-song repetition of “Lysandre’s Theme.” Let your guard down, meet Chris halfway. For a brief 29 minutes you can float down a river of heartbreaking genius. 

– Alex Riggs