Dark and effervescent sophomore release from Ohio USA based Black Owls. Harrowing and infectiously hook-laden songcraft that put them in league with noted Ohioana Black Keys, Heartless Bastards, and Guided By Voices. Influences on their sleeves, bleeding immediacy and passion, Black Owls deliver a proper rock record to get you dusting off your Mott the Hoople, Bowie, Grand Funk, Guess Who, Iggy, Alice, Clash, Television, Jim Carroll, Neil Young, and Zepplin. Against the indy zeitgeist of choir vocals and shimmery haze, this album oozes guts and glamour. Take special note: Magic Lantern, Stone, Her Normal Courtesy. Seek them out. One of our 10 best of 2010. - Matter Sounds UK
This central Ohio three-piece (vocalist/drummer Dave Butler, guitarist Ed Shuttleworth and bassist Alan Beavers) pimps the kind of stripped-down Classic Rock (think more T Rex than AC/DC) that’s been the soundtrack to beer-swilling pub dwellers for more than four decades now. Butler’s high-pitched delivery comes through loud and clear, giving voice to simple, dark-hued stories laced with the occasional head-sticking nugget, such as “When I’m cremated you’ll smoke my ashes.”
Dig it: The Who, The Rolling Stones cut with Midwestern menace, Guided by Voices. JG- CityBeat, Cincinnati
With Guided by Voices long gone, the Black Owls are filling a real void in our lives, creating pompous, over-the-top-rock without making pains to show how tongue-in-cheek they are.
If you’ve never spent any time with Guided by Voices, or the Who for that matter, the album will be just as enjoyable—the Black Owls have a knack for well-crafted, substantial rock songs that are catchy as hell. But it won’t make as much sense. If, on the other hand, you have spent time with those two groups, Lightning is for you.
Rick Allen, the other paper - Columbus, Ohio
Insert disc, grab a MILLER HIGH LIFE and press play. Ohio natives THE BLACK OWLS have put together some of the best well crafted songs influenced by some of this country (and others) best known musicians that still make their mark today. This disc is loaded with hints of The Rolling Stones, The WHO, The Ramones and Georgia Satellites—to say the least—with a vibe of your favorite local BAR band playing their hearts out till all hours of the night. Plenty of danceable tracks, a few absolute anthems and creative music abilities that make this band stand apart from the past (and make the future seem more pleasant). Sometimes you have to go back a step and appreciate what was before ever understanding what will be. History has made it's mark, and it is time for the present to do the same — THE BLACK OWLS have a firm foothold in creating a new history for Rock n' Roll. This CD is a complete celebration of music at it's finest and should not be ignored.
- Dave Fishwick the Neus Subject
Judging from the neo-psychedelic sounds found on its debut LP, "Lightning Made Us Who We Are," Granville, Ohio-based Black Owls is an anomaly in Amish country. Rather than dabbling in something rootsy, Ed Shuttleworth (guitars, vocals), Mike Brewer (guitars, vocals), David Butler (vocals, drums) and Dan Cochran (bass, vocals) push a garage-rock agenda that also draws from the British Invasion, new wave, glam and '70's post-punk.
And despite the varied influences, this crew has fashioned its favorite styles into a focused and infectious sound.
The new album, released on the group's own Moholy Pop Records, is sure to get listeners moving. Black Owls recorded at Central City Recording in Columbus with Jon Chinn, who gave "Mr. Tornado," "Julias Morningstar" and other killer cuts a muscular, timeless qualilty that serves the material well. Clever arrangements, outstanding twin guitar play and a keen sense of dynamics heighten the listening experience.
-Don Thrasher - Active Dayton, Dayton Daily News
