Product Description

The Folk Implosion (a wry twist on "Blues Explosion") sounds neither like the fey folk-pop of John Davis nor like the abrasive dissonance of Lou Barlow's other band, Sebadoh. On "One Part Lullaby", Folk Implosion dives deep into the art ofthe overdub and comes up with some smooth polished pearls of pop. Vocals are layered on as thick as on any Janet Jackson disc, and songs slide unselfconsciously between major and minor modes. A veritable toy box of instruments (including omnichord, tuned drinking glasses, and a psaltery) was enlisted in service of the lush sound, helping bring about an album that is a far cry from the strident tones of the group's first disc.

Track Listing

1. My Ritual
2. One Part Lullaby
3. Free To Go
4. Serge
5. East LA
6. Mechanical Men
7. Kingdom Of Lies
8. Gravity
9. Changed To The Moon
10. Merry Go Round
11. Someone To Love
12. No Need To Worry
13. Back To The Sunrise

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99486 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-18
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It isn't like anybody has been waiting around for "the great LA album", although several bands (Guns N' Roses, Hole) have nevertheless tried to make it. Who would expect that it would finally be done by a hung-up East Coast Romeo who followed his love to Los Angeles and found the city strangely to his liking? Folk Implosion singer-lyricist Lou Barlow is noted for his dejected love songs and now he sings them to a city indifferent and detached, made of concrete and overpasses. Barlow is lucky that John Davis, his partner in the duo, is more sympathetic to his new metropolitan muse than his roughshod cohorts in Sebadoh. Davis layers dense ribbons of guitar and rhythms to recreate both the hazy pall of pollution that hangs over the city and the complex social strata that lives beneath it. Barlow's lyrics reference both his flight from the East and his "following the setting sun" to arrive in paradise. The centerpiece of this song cycle is "Easy LA" with its Tupac-y vocoder chorus and sophisticated electronic hum. "Here I am / Never thought I'd be / Among the drifters and directors / A place for me / It's nothing like I thought it was after all." This album is less a lullaby and more a valentine to America's enigmatic oasis. --Lois Maffeo

Customer Reviews

Lou does it again!
I only recently heard of The Folk Implosion, and, being a fan of Sebadoh, and Lou Barlow himself, picked this up just days after hearing of them. This was an impulse buy not to be regretted, and is one of the best albums I have heard all year. It is more calm, peaceful, and quiet than Sebadoh, but Lou's lyrics still shine through amongst all the instrumental jiggery-pokery to be found here. The tremendous emotion and feeling in his voice, combined with the glorious splendour of the music, works wonders. I didn't expect it to be anything like Sebadoh, but didn't quite know what to expect. I was very impressed. An unexpected album of the year, very original, but touching and addictive at the same time. Songs such as "My Ritual" and "Free To Go" simply ooze pop, and catchiness, whereas ones such as "Mechanical Man", strike a chord with the listener, right through the heart, like an answer to the prayers which they thought they had never even uttered. If you think all of this sounds like pretentious sickly praise from a fan, and have never heard this beautiful album, then my advice is to go and listen to it now. Or even better, go and buy it. Haven't heard them yet? Then take a chance. You know you won't regret it.

Cheerier Than Sebadoh!
I'm not a huge fan of Sebadoh, Lou Barlows (the singer/songwriter of Folk implosion) other band. Lou Barlow can write a classic tune but is too busy trying to make things sound lo-fi and uncomercial much to the detriment of the song itself. So this side project came as a pleasant suprise, because the tune comes first. Although he almost turns the situation on it's head by using too much instrumental and studio jiggery pokery. This is a fairly up beat guitar pop album using infectious funky hip hop beats to and lots of instruments to back up classic Lou Barlow songs. It works really, well even the wild west style instrumental is great. The lyrics in true Barlow style are deeply personal, but this time a bit cheerier than usual. If you've heard Sebadoh or are new both bands buy this, you won't regret it.