Their music pilfers from the past without shame but also manages to sound like no one else.
In another band’s hands, all this stretching would seem sophomoric, but Girls have always been great at grasping.
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.
With “Father, Son, Holy Ghost,” the band has vaulted the equivalent of three albums ahead, taking the conciseness of the EP and confounding expectations.
One of the best thing about following music is being proven wrong, so I'm happy to say that Father, Son, Holy Ghost makes me look foolish - despite liking Album, I never, ever imagined Girls would be anywhere near this good.
On Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the band prove themselves able to beautifully capture the fucked-up and fatalistic feelings of young love, no matter the thrust of the music.
Honest, occasionally crushing, often stunning, and all the better for the fact that Owens seems to be incapable of being anyone but himself.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost succeeds thoroughly at nearly everything it does.
Because there’s an awkward squirm at Girls’ core, a deviant devolution of classic mores, and that makes ‘…Holy Ghost’ something of a maladroit masterpiece.
Nothing sticks like the Dark Side of the Moon-tinged first single ”Vomit,” but it’s a quietly compelling follow-up to their more adventurous (and much-acclaimed) 2009 debut.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost seems like a step backward from their previous work.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost is a complex record, one that doesn't quite fully realising Girls potential as great recording artists.
On first listen, you'll think someone should have spent a couple of hours with them in the editing studio. A few plays down the line, you'll realise that really would be missing the point.
One of the most cathartic rock albums of the decade, composed by an artist (Christopher Owens) who had tragic childhood and adolescence (he was raised in a cult, his father abandoned him, his mother had to prostitute herself for the cult leader, his brother died early, etc.) and an apparently turbulent love life (as the disillusioned "Alex" indicates).
Girls would breakup only a year later, but the farewell could not have been more powerful: there are songs that refer to Beach Boys ... read more
This album oozes soul and feelings, until you're covered in a hot, sticky mess of emotion.
Some nice soothing, retro instrumentation makes for some rather lavish sounding songs — just seems to be a bit lacking in originality for me.
1 | Honey Bunny 2:33 | 83 |
2 | Alex 4:50 | 79 |
3 | Die 4:50 | 79 |
4 | Saying I Love You 3:58 | 64 |
5 | My Ma 3:57 | 74 |
6 | Vomit 6:23 | 88 |
7 | Just a Song 6:39 | 77 |
8 | Magic 3:27 | 78 |
9 | Forgiveness 7:49 | 75 |
10 | Love Like a River 3:41 | 75 |
11 | Jamie Marie 4:28 | 72 |
#1 | / | Bigger Than The Sound |
#1 | / | Stereogum |
#2 | / | Obscure Sound |
#3 | / | Urban Outfitters |
#5 | / | Pitchfork |
#5 | / | SPIN |
#6 | / | DIY |
#8 | / | The Fly |
#10 | / | No Ripcord |
#10 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |