Following the premature demise of his wildly popular indie-rock group Girls, singer-songwriter Christopher Owens re-emerges with vintage pop travelogue “Lysandre” and a visit to Seattle. Some may find the 33-year-old San Franciscan’s sacrifice of gritty guitars for fluttery flutes and bombastic brass bewildering, but material like the tender “A Broken Heart,” driving “Here We Go Again” and stark, self-critical “Love is in the Ear of the Listener” shines with Serge Gainsbourg romanticism and Elliott Smith vulnerability. Owens performs “Lysandre” front-to-back with an eight-piece ensemble, followed by a cover set aimed at further articulating his new direction. 9 p.m. Thursday, the Vera Project, Seattle Center, $20-$22 (206-956-8372 or www.theveraproject.org).

Charlie Zaillian, Seattle Times freelancer

This story, published March 22, was corrected March 22. Christopher Owens plays at the Vera Project, not the Neptune Theatre, as previously reported. The venue change was made after press deadlines.