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Album Review
by SashaS
10-2-2005
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| Lou Barlow: indie rock's elder statesman |
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Lou Barlow: 'Emoh'
(Domino)
Lou Barlow: soloing with beautiful directness
All musical styles have been done do death and all genres have been made to paint themselves into a corner with an enormous persistence by the music industry. Everything has become narrowly defined, specifically targeted and pushed with singularly resolute purpose: streamlining general taste by refining it for the benefit of marketing. Hybrids are almost discouraged because it is tough to market something different on the market that is focused onto one-dimensionality.
Eric Burdon, the famed Animals’ frontman, said recently that “The industry is it's own worst enemy [that] turned their back on technology hoping the Internet would go away.” What’s worse the very same industry has suffocated innovation, invention and experimentation. Listen to Gang of Four album ‘Entertainment’ and hear how today’s copyists have gotten not a single original idea.
Generalisations are never wise because there are always exceptions, perhaps less than in the past but still enough to challenge [m]any trends. Such as Lou Barlow, a stalwart of indie-dom for almost two decades who finally got round to doing a proper solo album. The Bard of lo-fi, erstwhile leader of Sabbadoh [formed in 1987], The Folk Implosion and Sentridoh, former bass player for Dinosaur Jr, steps out under his own banner.
His previous solo collection ‘Winning Losers: A Collection Of Home Recordings’ (1994) and Sentridoh releases have offered his personal visions but this is the first time that the picture is completely solo. ‘Emoh’ offers more rootsy Americana and with some arcane folk traditions, rocking softly and popping gently, it certainly provides a wide and impressive scope.
There are plenty of great melodies topped by sharp, insightful and honest lyrics on variety of topics: jealousy (‘Royalty’), self-doubt (‘If I Could’), romance (‘The Ballad Of Daykitty’, also a funny ode to the man’s many feline friends), religion (‘Mary’ - a sacrilegious take, actually), futility (‘Round‘n’Round)…
‘Ehom’’s title track [‘Home’ spelt backwards] is another gem amidst 14 tracks that at times recall Johnny Cash, Morrissey [long before the current comeback], David Bowie, Nick Cave, but it is only in passing, perhaps - subconscious ‘tributes’. The album verifies that Lou Barlow has left his lo-fi behind and re-emerged as an indie veteran sounding like an elder statesman of singer/songwriting brethren.
This LP should also allow the man to leave his cult status behind in favour of some major recognition.
8/10
SashaS
10-2-2005
Lou Barlow’s album ‘Emoh’ is released 07 February 2005 by Domino
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