The third entry in my continuing fall-inspired series shows a song can fit nicely without being all down and dirge-y.
If you listened only to the intro to Phil Wilson’s “I Own It” and then hit pause just before the ten-second mark, you’d assume something darker lurks around the bend. And quite rightly, as that’s what the acoustic guitar’s minor chords certainly suggest. But press play again and the drums kick in, with the song rapidly ramping up to reveal “I Own It” as the bouncy number it really is.
Such a cheery tempo could have rendered it completely ineligible for contention (there are even handclaps!). As I mentioned when getting a late start on this whole “Fall for” series, the season seems to call for songs that are more contemplative in tone and thematic. But in the case of “I Own It,” the inclusion of viola and trumpet add a stately feel to Wilson’s jangly guitar pop. And the tune is still inward looking, lyrically speaking, all reasons I’ve added it to this autumn’s soundtrack:
The combination of such instrumentation will ring familiar to those familiar with Phil Wilson’s long-ago work with the June Brides as frontman and chief songwriter. The London-born indie-pop band issued just four singles, one EP, and one studio album during the brief time they were active, from 1984-1986. But the shadow the June Brides cast was a long one, influencing UK groups that followed in the decades since, from Belle and Sebastian to Franz Ferdinand. (A stateside fan, writer Dave Eggers chronicled his love of Phil Wilson and the June Brides in a piece for The Guardian a few years back, which is worth reading.)
After the June Brides disbanded, Wilson released a few solo singles and then left the music business behind. He took a toe-dip back with 2008’s Industrial Strength EP, on which he gave songs by Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle, Faust, and S/T an acoustic makeover. Now Wilson’s writing and recording his own songs again, with “I Own It” represents his first original work in over 20 years. It’s the first single from his debut solo album, God Bless Jim Kennedy, released this past Tuesday.
Free download of Phil Wilson – “I Own It” via Slumberland Records.
