Sebadoh 2012: Still College Rock After All These Years
I never got to see Sebadoh back in the vaunted "Alternative" 1990's. After I saw them on 120 minutes for the first time, I was extremely impressed with their live performance of "Rebound." Once I had Bakesale and The Sebadoh in hand, I quickly consumed the rest of their catalog, buying up anything related to Lou Barlow that I could find. Sebadoh records were always good -- Barlow's confessional songs slotted in smoothly next to Jason Lowenstein's rock and roll/hardcore rave-ups -- Barlow's solo records were spotty and, ultimately, less satisfying. Gems popped up on each Sentridoh album, but Barlow seemed more interested in putting all of his songs out, warts and all, than crafting a cohesive record. As he himself admits, many of the songs were the work of a pothead, who thought his lyrics were deep. Offset by the dross, the great songs shine, yet it wasn't until Barlow released his "first" (this can be debated) solo record, Emoh t...