Lou Barlow – Goodnight Unknown
It’s hard to write a review of an album by someone considered by a lot of people to be something of a demi-god of his genre, particularly when your knowledge of his work is pretty thin. So I am warning anyone with a slightly more than healthy relationship with Sebadoh in particular to bear in mind before reading this that I really like One Part Lullaby by Folk Implosion, although I haven’t listened to it for ages and, despite the impassioned urgings of a succession of friends, barely know a thing about Sebadoh. In fact I haven’t really sat down and listened to any of their albums carefully, now that I think about it, although I’ve probably heard a fair bit in passing, over the years.
If this were a new album by a new band I’d never heard of, I have to confess that I really don’t know if I’d have given it enough time. I will admit that this benefitted from the Famous Person Benefit of the Doubt clause, which meant that I listened to it a few more times than I might have, giving it a little extra time to sink in.
Even so, I am not what you’d call smitten. It’s decent, the sound is good, and there are some really lovely songs, but I’ve listened to it through on many occasions now and only worryingly rarely do I get that ‘oh good, that song’ reaction that you get when songs have wormed their way into your subconscious.
In terms of stature and career path I find myself comparing Barlow to Stephen Malkmus, once of the equally-revered Pavement, although they both make rather different music. This is less eccentric or demanding of your attention than Malkmus’ work has generally been, and as such perhaps a little easier to dismiss without due attention. If I didn’t ‘know who this was’ then it’s entirely feasible I might simply have skipped over it as another reasonable but unremarkable indie album with the right general sound, but not enough character to the individual songs to let them really grab your attention.
And despite the good bits, I think that’s where I’d have to put my stake in the ground with Goodnight Unknown. Were he actually unknown I might never have given this more than a couple of listens, not least because as an album is it just far, far too long. Given that I have persevered with it I still don’t think there’s more than a small handful of songs on it which have enough in the simple department of hooks and melodies to really stick in my mind and get me humming along. In short, despite good moments, it just doesn’t grab me at all.
Lou Barlow – Goodnight Unknown
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
pah!
Another piece of typically insightful commentary from the Man of Chutney.
M’eh. This is sort of ordinary. I sometimes find it difficult to read some of the reviews of bands that have been around for a while because some much of this stuff compares so unfavourably to the new bands.
These songs are good but a bit: M’eh.
And the rest of the album is nothing like as good as this, either.
It is really is the case that if it wasn’t for a massive sense of ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am!’ I probably would have gone any further than two or three listens with this.
Wouldn’t, obviously.
3/5?
Two at most.
It’s not bad, but it ins’t really all that amazing either, I think you’ve nailed this with the review.
Good luck for tonight, will be tuning in…
Providing your commentary from the U.S.: “It’s OK,” which translates into a 2 out of 5. Maybe 2.5.
My knowledge of Lou Barlow is equally thin, although I know he was either 1/3 or 1/2 of Dinosaur Jr and a large percentage of Sebadoh. I do have One Part Lullaby, which I consider a treasure and have played a lot. I don’t hear either of these standing up to that set of songs.
you people are all idiots
Bear, it’s shit. It just is. Face it.
Linda – agreed. A back catalogue can be a double-edged sword, but in this case the back catalogue is the only thing winning this record column-inches.
love sebadoh mainly for jason loewensteins stuff but barlow’s early work is pretty good. hate most of anything he’s recorded with or without folk implosion. the serious rot started with emoh (which is a horrible fucking title). he’s just peddling blah fucking indie pop now. the new dinosaur jr. albums are ace though…
LISTEN TO SEBADOH 3! LISTEN TO FREED WEED! AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
this is genius.
I’m with the bear.
Well I can’t argue about Sebadoh. Just not keen on this. And Emoh is a nasty title for an album.
Disappointed to hear all this, though I haven’t listened to the album yet. He’s had some solo gems in the past that have really got to me. So now I’m mildly depressed.
Mr Bear is my friend!
Mine too. And wrong.
no, you’re wrong Matthew
I have to say in all seriousness, this review wrankles me a little….the way you describe Barlow as being some kind of universaly adored indie-god when in reality, despite a prolific and often dazzling-ly good career his efforts have been over-shadowed by other (and in my opinion far inferior) songwriters.
It bugs the shit out of me that every cunt and his granny has heard or owns the bloated attention seeker of an album that is daydream nation whilst records such-as Freed Man never (and I mean NEVER) get so much as a mention when it comes to polls regarding indie classics.
Sorry about the rant…however, regardless of whether you think that this record is any cop, I just feel that you’ve got the wrong end of the stick in terms of the guys music and the general reception that it receives.
i might be ‘wrong’ again, but i love this
Well, Bear, all I know is the reverence in which most of the people I know whose musical opinions I really respect seem to hold the guy, particularly with regards to the Sebadoh stuff.
I mentioned that for two reasons: firstly to make sure that it was clear I wasn’t claiming that Barlow himself is shit in general, because I really have no idea, but assume not based on hearsay/peer pressure.
Secondly, to make it clear that I don’t know enough to put a wider context into this review. I have no idea where it sits in relation to the rest of his work, so all I can form my opinion on is the basis of this hour (or whatever) of music.
You know as well as I do that when you have a long-standing relationship with an artist’s stuff it affects how you hear new releases – it’s impossible for it not to, the emotional relationship is totally different.
But I don’t personally know of many people with much bad to say about Sebadoh (less so Folk Implosion), although I haven’t exactly done extensive polling.
So just judging this album on its own merits, after several listens, and with no history or expectations, I find it boring, lacking in actual tunes and emotionally completely unengaging, that’s all.
I just acknowledge that this might well be different if I loved his older stuff, in the same way I enjoy Tom Waits’ more mediocre songs more than I would ever expect anyone to, if they barely knew his stuff, and was just listening to an individual song on its own merits.
And yes Chutters, you are once again wrong. It’s a real knack you have there, isn’t it.
You’re getting me all wrong….read back the comment, my problems not with the review of the actual album…more with how you describe the artist, and that despite an admitted lack of prior knowledge the review still seems to hang on his past merits rather than being just a straight up review.
Toad’s song of the day
Well it’s not so much about his past merits, or wasn’t supposed to be, more about how I gave this album far more time than I might have done based upon my impression of how great so many people I trust think Sebadoh were.
When I first listened I was thinking ‘Ooh, great, a new album by that Sebadoh chap everyone [by which I mean my closest musical pals, not *everyone* of course] seems to love so much.’ Then it was ‘hmm, maybe I’m not getting it … hmm must try again’. Until eventually: ‘hmm, no still not … hmm, no, actually, I think I just don’t like this album’.
So my impression of the album – which is what I write, more than actual reviews, per se – is that I do not like it, but that failure to enjoy it is strongly coloured by everything I’d built up in my head from what friends had told me about Barlow himself and his past stuff. That’s my relationship with this record, which is all I tend to write to begin with.
Chutters, you surely can’t have the temerity to call me out for issuing summary judgment on matters of opinion without so much as a sentence of justification or explanation, can you? That’s taking irony to interstellar levels of achievement. You should write lyrics for Alanis Morrissette.
i wouldn’t say that i have temerity….rather i’d called it gumption
man, i was a big barlow fan beginning with his b-side from dino jr. into his sebadoh/sentridoh stuff but never like everything he did and lost interest in folk implosion. haven’t listened to him in awhile and really liked these two tunes – enough to at least listen to the whole album through which is more than i felt hearing his last one – stinker!.
at one time he was a pin-up for all sensitive indie boy types who smoked pot. i’m sure he caused many a young men to question their sexual orientation. not me though! i’m all man through and through!
Oh, Chris, I’m so glad you made that last point – hell, Barlow’s still a fox.
Sir Toad, his songs with Dinosaur Jr. were lovely, really lovely. “I’m Thinking” reminds me of a finished version of “Poledo.” Start there, I guess.