The Folk Implosion: The New Folk Implosion : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

As the leader of Sebadoh, Lou Barlow crafted melodic laments that certified him as the moodiest malcontent in Nineties indie rock. In his side project Folk Implosion, Barlow and the whimsical John Davis scored with 1995's "Natural One," perhaps the most improbable Top Forty hit of the post-Nirvana era. Now Davis has cut himself loose, and The New Folk Implosion is strictly Barlow -- and all too mundane. Barlow can still turn out a great state-of-the-heart phrase ("Harmony's gone/The rhythm remains," he sings on "Brand of Skin"), but the album's crisply rendered rock numbers can't hold a candle to Sebadoh scorchers such as "The Freed Pig." One idea: If the standout closer, "Easy," and the gorgeous, acoustic "Pearl" were laid alongside the best songs on At Sixes and Sevens, the recent solo outing from Barlow's former partner Jason Loewenstein, you'd have a hell of a Sebadoh album.

PETER RELIC
(RS 915 – February 6, 2003)