Father, Son, Holy Ghost (album)

For the theological concept, see Trinity
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Studio album by Girls
Released September 7, 2011
Recorded 2011
San Francisco, USA
Genre Indie rock
Length 53:29
Label True Panther Sounds
Producer Girls, Doug Boehm[1]
Girls chronology
Broken Dreams Club
(2010)		 Father, Son, Holy Ghost
(2011)
Singles from Father, Son, Holy Ghost
  1. "Vomit"
    Released: July 20, 2011
  2. "Honey Bunny"
    Released: August 23, 2011

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the second album by the indie rock band Girls, released September 13, 2011 on True Panther Sounds in the United States, September 12, 2011 on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile in Europe, September 7, 2011 in Japan on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile and September 14 in Mexico on Arts & Crafts México.[2][3][4] The album peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200 and has received generally positive reviews.[5][6]

Contents

Background and recording

The album cover for Father, Son, Holy Ghost was first revealed in a web widget on True Panther Sounds' website in early July, 2011. The album was later announced on July 7, 2011.[7][8]

The album's first single, "Vomit," was released as a MP3 download on July 20, 2011.[9] A music video for "Vomit," which featured lead singer Christopher Owens driving on a city street in a 1966 Ford Mustang, was later released on August 8, 2011.[10] A second single, "Honey Bunny," premiered August 23, 2011 on All Songs Considered.[11] A music video for "Honey Bunny," which featured Christopher Owens' girlfriend and was inspired by the video for Ariel Pink's "Life in L.A.", premiered on the New York Times website on September 20, 2011.[12] The album was streamed in its entirety on The Guardian on September 6, 2011.[13]

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the first Girls album to feature drummer Darren Weiss, keyboardist Dan Eisenberg and guitarist John Anderson; Girls first album was previously a collaboration between lead singer Christopher Owens and JR White. The album was recorded in San Francisco's Golden Gate Studios and Los Angeles' The Sound Factory. Doug Boehm produced the album.[1][14]

In an interview with Spin, Owens said the album's title was chosen to reflect music's spiritual quality.[1]

Style

Music

Father, Son, Holy Ghost was heavily influenced by music from the 1960s and 1970s. Bands that influenced the album's sound included Deep Purple, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Beach Boys and Pink Floyd.[15][16][17][18] Several writers related Father, Son, Holy Ghost to a larger trend of indie artists reaching back to past decades for inspiration.[15][16][19]

With regards to individual tracks, critics compared the album's opening track "Honey Bunny" to surf rock.[15][16] The track "Die" is a heavy metal song and was influenced by Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well." Christopher Owens called the album's final track, "Jamie Marie," a Randy Newman song.[19][20]

Lyrics

Both "Honey Bunny" and "My Ma" were written about Owens' relationship with his mother. Owens said about "Honey Bunny: "I recorded [Honey Bunny] knowing she would hear it, and acknowledging that she was good to me [..] She’s always thinking that I think she’s a bad mom. When I played that for her, it was a very emotional moment. Because I don’t begrudge her at all. It’s just one of those situations, you know. It wasn’t her fault." For "My Ma", the song was "like confessing to my mom" for Owens, an extension of "Honey Bunny" and "talking about needing her in my life still."[19]

"Vomit" and "Jamie Marie" were both written about Owens' ex girlfriends. The title for "Vomit" was inspired by the Book of Proverbs aphorism As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. On the song's subject matter, Owens said: "When I’m writing, 'I’m running around looking for you baby,' I literally would be running around, sometimes at night, going to certain bars I know my girlfriend was going to, seeing if she was there." "Jamie Marie" was about a girlfriend Owens left behind in Amarillo, Texas when he moved to San Francisco.[19]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [18]
The A.V. Club (A-)[17]
Consequence of Sound [21]
The Guardian [22]
Paste (9.0/10)[23]
Pitchfork Media (9.3/10)[15]
Popmatters (9/10)[16]
Rolling Stone [24]
Spin (9/10)[25]

Father, Son, Holy Ghost has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 79 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."[6]

Zachary Houle of Popmatters thought the album was superior to Album, writing "Unlike past Girls’ outings, Father, Son, Holy Ghost is bracingly immediate, a collection of songs that don’t have to grow on you—songs that are fully realized and lovable at first blush."[16] Consequence of Sound's Möhammad Choudhery also thought the Father, Son, Holy Ghost was better than the band's debut album, writing "And so for a whole lot more reasons – some old, some new – Father, Son, Holy Ghost outdoes its forebears in, for the second straight time, about every way imaginable. In place of Album‘s sometimes hard-to-swallow, wallowing self-pity, Holy Ghost is streaked with a buoyant, some might call it spiritual, sense of self-consciousness, while maintaining the endearing timidity."[21] Some reviewers praised Girls for sounding original despite being heavily influenced by music from previous decades. Paste's Stephen Deusner declared "In that regard, this album not only surpasses its predecessor but raises the bar for any band, indie or otherwise, mining the past for inspiration."[23] Pitchfork Media's Mark Richardson gave the album a Best New Music designation, writing "Since the retirement of LCD Soundsystem, San Francisco's Girls [...] just might be the band best making use of the current situation. Their music pilfers from the past without shame but also manages to sound like no one else." Richardson continued: "This lyrical simplicity shouldn't obscure the fact that these are sharply constructed songs that take unusual turns."[15]

Allmusic's Jason Lymangrover, on the other hand, criticized Father, Son, Holy Ghost for being more indulgent than Album, writing "All too often, artists follow up a breakout debut with a difficult sophomore outing, and Girls fall prey to the syndrome, overcompensating for average songs with dazzling instrumentation." Lymangrover concluded: "The good news is that this album proves they are top-level purveyors of pop. The bad is that the eccentricity that once flowed freely feels forced."[18] In another mixed review, Dusted Review's Jennifer Kelly called the album "inconsistent," writing "The good songs — 'Honey Bunny,' 'Alex,' 'Die,' 'My Ma' and, especially, 'Vomit' — are clustered near the front. The bad ones, chief among them 'Saying I Love You,' wrap trivial sentiments in precocious pop arrangements and conjure Lite FM mainstays like Bread, Poco, America and Rupert Holmes [...]."[26]

Accolades

Father, Son, Holy Ghost has appeared on a few end-of-year lists. Stereogum named it the best album of 2011, while Q ranked the album #41 on its list of the top 50 albums of 2011 [27][28] Paste ranked the album #13 on its list of the best 50 albums of 2011, after being accidentally left off the magazine's original list.[29][30] The same website also ranked the track "Honey Bunny" #11 on its list of the 50 Best Songs of 2011, calling it "the most memorable track [...] featuring a hazily upbeat chorus."[31] Pitchfork Media ranked the album #5 on its list, with Stuart Berman writing: "[...] even more so than its predecessor, Father, Son, Holy Ghost is a capital-A Album."[32] Mojo placed the album at number 30 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011."[33]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Honey Bunny"   2:41
2. "Alex"   4:59
3. "Die"   4:58
4. "Saying I Love You"   4:06
5. "My Ma"   4:05
6. "Vomit"   6:28
7. "Just A Song"   6:48
8. "Magic"   3:35
9. "Forgiveness"   7:58
10. "Love Like A River"   3:49
11. "Jamie Marie"   4:36
Total length:
 53:29

Personnel

The following people contributed to Father, Son, Holy Ghost:[36]

Girls

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 37[5]
US Independent Albums 10[5]
UK Indie Chart 20[37]
French SNEP 123[38]
Norwegian VG-lista 21[38]

References

  1. ^ a b c Goodman, William. EXCLUSIVE: Girls Talk September Album. Spin. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  2. ^ GIRLS: Father, Son, Holy Ghost 9.13.11. True Panther Sounds. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  3. ^ Girls set to release Father, Son, Holy Ghost on Sept. 12, 2011. Turnstile. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  4. ^ ACMX040. Arts & Crafts México. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Father, Son, Holy Ghost - Charts & Awards. Allmusic. Retrieved 7 November 2011
  6. ^ a b Critic Reviews for Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Metacritic. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  7. ^ Girls Unveil … Something. Stereogum. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  8. ^ Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost Details. Stereogum. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom. New Girls Track: "Vomit". Pitchfork Media. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  10. ^ Girls – “Vomit” Video. Stereogum. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  11. ^ Hilton, Robin Song Premiere: Girls, 'Honey Bunny'. NPR. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  12. ^ Branch, Kathryn. T Exclusive Video | ‘Honey Bunny’ by Girls. New York Times 20 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  13. ^ Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost: exclusive album stream. The Guardian. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  14. ^ Carroll, Jim. Forget the cults and drugs, Girls just wanna have fun. The Irish Times. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e Richardson, Mark. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Pitchfork Media. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  16. ^ a b c d e Houle, Zachary. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Popmatters. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  17. ^ a b Martins, Chris. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. The A.V. Club. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  18. ^ a b c Lymangrover, Jason. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Allmusic. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d Kornhaber, Spencer. The Story Behind the Loveliest Rock Album of the Year (So Far). The Atlantic. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. ^ Dombal, Ryan. Interviews: Girls. Pitchfork Media. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  21. ^ a b Choudhery, Möhammad. Album Review: Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Consequence of Sound. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  22. ^ Jonze, Tim. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost – review. The Guardian. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  23. ^ a b Deusner, Stephen. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Paste. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  24. ^ Dolan,Jon. [1]. Rolling Stone.
  25. ^ Aaron, Charles. Girls, 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' (True Panther/Matador). Spin. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  26. ^ Kelly, Jennifer. Dusted Reviews: Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Dusted Reviews. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  27. ^ Florence + The Machine named Q's album of 2011 - listen now. Q. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  28. ^ Stereogum Staff. Stereogum’s Top 50 Albums Of 2011. Stereogum. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  29. ^ Josh, Jackson (29 November 2011). "The 50 Best Albums of 2011". Paste. http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/11/the-50-best-albums-of-2011.html?p=2. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 
  30. ^ Jackson, Josh. The Missing Album From Paste's Top 50. Paste. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  31. ^ Josh, Jackson (30 November 2011). "The 50 Best Songs of 2011". Paste. http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/11/the-50-best-songs-of-2011.html?p=4. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 
  32. ^ The Top 50 Albums of 2011. Pitchfork Media. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  33. ^ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. December 2, 2011. http://stereogum.com/894362/mojos-top-50-albums-of-2011/list/. Retrieved December 16, 2011. 
  34. ^ Father, Son, Holy Ghost (Bonus Track Version). iTunes Store. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  35. ^ Father, Son, Holy Ghost (Amazon MP3 Exclusive). amazon.com. Retrieved 08 December 2011.
  36. ^ Father, Son, Holy Ghost - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  37. ^ UK Independent Albums Chart 24th Sept 2011. Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 3 October 2011
  38. ^ a b Girls (US) - Record 3 - Father, Son, Holy Ghost. norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 30 September 2011.

External links

Girls
Christopher Owens • Chet "JR" White • Darren Weiss • Dan Eisenberg • John Anderson
Matthew Kallman • Ryan Lynch • Garett Goddard
Studio albums
Album (2009) • Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011)
EPs
Singles
"Lust for Life"/"Morning Light" • "Hellhole Ratrace" • "Lust for Life" • "Laura" • "Morning Light" • "Heartbreaker" • "Vomit" • "Honey Bunny" • "Lawrence"
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