Album Notes

Voted one of the top 5 albums of 2005, Voted one of the top 5 live shows in Chicago in 2005---CHICAGO INNERVIEW MAGAZINE

"Alex Lowry's psychedelic neo/anti-folk pop is an offbeat offshoot where the hurdy gurdy man takes us on a twisted magical mystery tour. Hot wired and intense, even in its quieter moments, this is challenging, innovative music that pushes established boundaries with alarming ease." CREATIVE LOAFING, ATLANTA

"The way Lowry manages to wrestle a melody out of all the seemingly disconnected layers of sound is a beautiful mystery that, whether it be serendipity or sheer diligence, makes the songs not merely intriguing but flat out catchy. . . .It's not often, as in "4th of July" that you hear cello and banjo working together but it is that sort of collage of sound and Lowry's dreamy fits of language that make this record not just a solid work of art but such an unadulterated and immediate joy." ROBIN CRACKNELL, AMERICANA UK


"Lowry might be a bit off his rocker but he has a mastery for crafting clever and intelligent pop hooks. . . .The East Village might be the proper place for him to call home but after a single listen he’ll find himself at home in your stereo and music rotation." SMOTHER MAGAZINE

"Lush and orgasmic at times, the music can shift shapes and transcend forms just as easily as the curious lyrics." THE READER, OMAHA

"Lowry has in 'Awful Joy' created an album of music that acts like water on a watercolor, blurring lines between genres and re-sorting them into something new and vital." DAILY VAULT, JASON WARBURG

"Love, self-discovery, fist fights, there’s a little bit of everything on “Awful Joy.” Mostly love, though. I mean, there is a sunflower on the album cover." CITY WEEKLY, OMAHA

"Awful Joy is a sprawling epic of home studio dynamics and drunken self-immolation by the fires of ego and lust. His vocal delivery is beyond direct, he barely sings, he more intones his pleas of “Please Love Me” throughout the record. And I mean all this all in the best possible light. His songs arc like a bird in flight at the chorus, coming back down to the ground in the verse." ALEX COOK, OUTSIDE LEFT---BATON ROUGE