Lou Barlow, who most people know as one-third of newly reunited alt-rock gods Dinosaur Jr., is one of those prolific musicians who's way ahead of his game. After being fired from the band due to a public fallout with bandmate J Mascis, Barlow spent the nineties pursuing solo projects under both his own name and the monikers Sebadoh and Sentridoh. While the material released under such projects served as an awesome and very withstanding foundation for music in the days of burgeoning lo-fi craziness, the stuff he's released under his own name is far more developed and distinguished with an edge only Barlow can create. This trend continues with Goodnight Unknown, which will be released October 6th on Merge records.
As a whole, Goodnight Unknown proves to be one of Barlow's more polished efforts – one the man himself describes as “a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh...to my ears, anyway.” In deep contrast to 2005's Emoh (a primarily acoustic gem), Unknown is a surging, full-fledged production, from the first chords on the pulsating opening track to the last murmurs on “One Note Tone.” It is also a highly collaborative work, with the Melvins' Dale Crover providing commendable drum work and new producers Lisa Germano and Andrew Murdoch helping the album retain an uniquely appealing energy. Another realization that comes to mind when taking in bits and pieces of Barlow's lengthy catalog (Goodnight Unknown and his Mirror the Eye EP, in particular) is that the bass player from one of the noisiest punk/alternative bands in history can still create songs so deep and mellow that they are just as touching as material on albums released by late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It is this characteristic that makes Barlow's work stand out from that of his colleagues, and this is also an element that makes Unknown one of his best works.
The opener, “Sharing,” encompasses most of the album's drive right off the bat. It's a smooth, well-executed pop song, punctuated by Crover's oscillating drums that are vaguely reminiscent of rhythms used by Bloc Party's Matt Tong. The tempo slows down briefly with “Goodnight Unknown,” but picks up gradually through the next three or four tracks. Staples of the album include “Thinking,” a melodic pop tune with noticeably haunting qualities, and “Praise,” which carries heavy strumming laden with crusading verve. Finally, Unknown concludes well with “One Note Tone,” which is nothing short of a perfect summary, possessing an equal amount of drive, depth, and production. But it's difficult to isolate these songs one by one to analyze the agenda or stylings of each – the whole album is a story, and should be listened to as one cohesive work rather than selected intermittent tracks.
Those expecting Barlow to return to the insane and quirky sounds of Sebadoh's 1991 album III will be disappointed by this album due to its conventional nature and refined sound, but devout Barlow fans and sensible music enthusiasts will treasure it as another gem from a very gifted (and very eclectic) indie demigod.
(Oh, and check out this tidbit!)
Again... Bloody awesome! :D
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