Customer Reviews

One Part Lullaby

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's not often that you find albums without any waste, but The Folk Implosion's new disc, "One Part Lullaby," defies ordinary music. Each track here counts, both lyrically and musically.

"One Part Lullaby" is collaboration at its finest. Lou Barlow and John Davis feed beautifully off one another, with Barlow's dreamy, rich voice glancing off Davis's inventive guitar riffs. Folk Implosion invariably layers in quirky sounds, but the textures behind the music are stunningly elegant, never distracting. The percussion, whether driving or subtle, offers hypnotic catchiness.

Folk Implosion's elliptically raw lyrics, however, are what make "One Part Lullaby" burrow into one's consciousness. The story behind the songs is not always clear. Nonetheless, you invariably get the feeling that, somehow, every word of every song was transcribed out of one of your own dreams.

Our parents should all sing such powerful lullabies.

Though their name is rather less accurate than Jon Spencer's somewhat similarly-minded Blues Explosion, bi-coastal duo Folk Implosion clearly have something in common with the folkies of the early and mid sixties. In addition to the attitude and honesty of the lyrics, the emphasis here is on experimentation and using familiar elements to create something undeniably - much as Dylan and his compatriots transformed the American folk-song tradition into a vital and new art form. In terms of the way the music actually sounds, however, it might be better described as rock and roll fused with hip-hop. That said, this is the furthest thing imaginable from recently successful slew "rap-rock" acts (Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, and the rest.) Those performers take advantage of the fact that rap takes the emphasis off of melody, but neglect to adopt any of its smoothly rhythmic poetry, and they revive the tired "classic" metal riffage from which Public Enemy successfully freed hip-hop back in 1989, without borrowing from the many interesting turns rock music has taken since 1977, or even the ingrained funkiness which hip-hop has inherited from decades of black dance music. Despite the sublime assortment of loping, multi-layered hip-hop beats, both live and computer-generated, as loose and innocent as Three Feet High-era De La Soul, which grace the majority of the tracks on One Part Lullaby, the rap correlation isn't all that obvious. By far the most interest in Folk Implosion comes from fans of Lou Barlow's earlier work. While not a household name in most of the country, Barlow, whose credits here include fifteen entries (as compared to partner John Davis' twelve - optigan, glockenspiel, psaltry, dulcimer, drum machine, and cookie sheet, among others), holds a firm place in the pantheon of nineties indie guitar rock as front-man for the band Sebadoh. That extremely influential group, which more or less pioneered lo-fi, has released numerous albums since Barlow's expulsion from Dinosaur Jr. in the late eighties, including their masterpiece, 1991's epic Sebadoh III. Folk Implosion, a somewhat mellower, more dance-oriented side project, had a minor top-40 hit in 1994 with "Natural One," but it wasn't until this year that they managed to reach a significant portion of listeners with this unique, phenomenally-crafted album. In a nutshell, this is a remarkably consistent collection of well-written rock songs, with strong pop-hooks, occasionally danceable but never heavy-handed grooves, playfulness, energy, bite, and intelligent lyrics (check out the superb coming-of-age song "Free to Go" - also the album's most easily accessible track music-wise.) Is it good? Hell yes.

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite albums. The Folk Implosion is a collaboration between "Sebadoh"'s lead singer Lou Barlow and the independent songwriter/experimentalist John Davis, "One Part Lullaby" being their third album together but their first on a major label (Interscope). The two artists are still faithful to their lo-fi/indie genre backgrounds, although there is certainly a "cleaner" sound (a "big record company" side-effect, but not necessarily a turn for the worst in this particular case). The outcome is a magnificent recording and true American-alternative music (read: that won't get any air play...).

Both Barlow and Davis are creative and accomplished musicians, and they clearly stand up with musical ingenuity on this album: more than fifteen instruments (from guitars, harps and xylophones through glasses of water and cookie sheets : yes they're proud of it and yes, you will be too); loops and samples of their own music; drifts from Minor to Major scales, and so on. Just the way they literally craft a song is outstanding, most tracks beginning with a few seconds in which they install the melody and background effects, just before Barlow's beautiful voice and poetry gives rise to polished jewels of songs. The album opens with the excellent "My Ritual", lyrically impressive and a great choice for an introduction, followed by "One Part Lullaby", tender, soft and highly emotional because of its powerful chorus. Then comes "Free to Go", the first single, upbeat and joyful, and which made the cut for the soundtrack of the Oscar-acclaimed 1999 movie "American Beauty", following in the footsteps of 1995's "Natural One" on the "Kids"' Soundtrack (taken from their second album "Dare to Be Surprised"). Track number four is an instrumental remix named "Serge", due to the fact that it samples famous French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg's song "Requiem pour un Con". The rest of the album is very good, but the songs are less remarkable than the record's first few tracks, maybe except for E.Z. L.A. (ethereal, in which Barlow describes his happiness of living now in the City of Angels) and the reassuring "No Need to Worry".

All in all, this is a brilliant, smooth, distinct, personal and addictive album, a gem of a rare kind, an oasis in today's mainstream "alternative" music.

Well, what do you know? A mere matter of months after I was ready to write Lou Barlow off due to his lacklustre offering with "The Sebadoh", he goes and creates one of the eyar's best albums with the Folk Implosion. One Part Lullabye is in stark contrast to past offerings from barlow and partner John Davis, for a variety of reasons. First, on this outing Barlow assumes the full vocal duties, which, given his wonderful voice, was a good move (plus, Davis can focus on what he does best : instumental experiementation). It is a much more cohesive and slick production than previous effort, too: the grooves are all mid-tempo and sultry. Yes, from the opening beats of "My Ritual", you can tell that this is a new and imporved version of the Implosion. Most songs and this album are definitely in line with FI's one hit, "Natural One" (from the Kids SOundtrack). The instrumental "Surge" sounds like it could have been placed on that soundtrack. Lyrically, it is a typical Barlow show, with lots of mopey lyrics (although not as much as is found in Sebadoh). The songs seem to tell the story of Barlow's recent relocation to Los Angeles. Overall, it is a wonderful offering from these guys, one that reaches for and really deserves a lot of sales and airplay (but of course in this day of fabricated teeny-pop, they won't get it). Nevertheless, One Part Lullabye is a sweet, surreal trip for those who choose to try it.

I've had Folk Implosion's new CD, "One Part Lullaby," for five days now. I own over 400 other discs, too, but I haven't been able to listen to them since those first few beats of "My Ritual" reached up and grabbed me by the ear drums.

"One Part Lullaby" has a hold of me, but it's not catchy in a cheap, commercial way. The Folk Implosion is more sophisticated and real than all the cheesy corporate alternative that chokes up the airwaves nowadays. Instead, this music wins you the old-fashioned way, with complicated guitar parts, beautiful singing, and one of the richest sounds I've heard that Phil Specter didn't happen to produce.

I think what has me singing this record to myself (I can't play the disc at work, so I compensate the best way I know how) is the lyrics. I swear to you, these guys know not only how to rock, but they know MY BRAIN also. Hearing the song "Free to Go" is like hearing someone else tell me what happened in my childhood.

I'd tell you you need to by "One Part Lullaby" for yourself, but Amazon wouldn't want me to, since the Folk Implosion will probably keep you from buying anything else for another six months!

I've followed Lou Barlow through Sebadoh et. al. and found his work uneven but so artful that even his failures are wonderful. John Davis is clearly his perfect partner and together they've created an amazingly cohesive and entrancing album that's not only danceable but poetic. And while Barlow is great at mooning about lost love ("Think" from Bubble & Scrape being one of the most heartfelt love songs of all time)he's never sappy, and is willing and able to take on other subject matter. (A relief really--I hate that pop music forces you to think about relationships all the time!) Also, unlike everyone else these days who's sampling or stealing from their predecessors, Folk Implosion's sound is 100% original. I got this CD three months ago, and although I've made attempts to stop myself (I don't want to get so sick of it I don't love it anymore)I still listen to it almost every day, and it still charms me. I also think the KIDS soundtrack is just terrific. What I don't understand is, why aren't these guys more famous? They're totally brilliant.

because I loved this CD so much, until I saw the comments below. Nothing to add but my vote for this desert island disc.

The fact that this album wasn't huge amazes me. Not that quality can necessarily be gauged by popularity, but everyone I've known who's listened to this album has loved it. Songs from this album make it onto just about every mix CD I make and everyone asks about it. I love it. I guess you can tell. You probably will too.

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since Lou Barlow and John Davis struck radio-airplay gold with "Natural One" from the Kids soundtrack. Even back then, the duo's talent for writing post-millennium pop songs rooted in indie fundamentals was apparent. Still, not so obvious was that they would and could compose such a buoyant, optimistic complete pop album. One Part Lullaby presents itself with both somewhat contradictory senses of grandness and intimacy. The grandness stems from the fact that the album is incredibly well-produced, with subtle electronic samples woven so masterfully into every track that it would even make Beck Hansen raise an eyebrow. Still, the volume of care and craftsmanship in the studio does not rob the songs of their intimate feel. Wrapped inside those shuffling drum beats and digital effects are simple, elegant melodies extended by absolutely gorgeous harmonies that will make your heart smile and ache as you sing along. Delving further, you find that the final layer in this clever work is the sardonic lyrics sung with a warm lilt, charming the listener with both guile and grace. As it had been a couple of months since last listening to this album, I revisited it before writing this review. When the music began, I felt instantly transported to that same warm, familiar place created when I first began to appreciate these songs. That immediate sense of familiarity and intimacy marks the sign of truly great album, that in every note of every melody, you can hear the strum of an acoustic guitar as two friends sit in their basement of their California home, composing these gems between runs for beer and cigarettes.

Ever since the 'KIDS' soundtrack, when in an interview Lou Barlow said he wanted to do a hip-hop album, I've been waiting, but the hip-hop album never came, and 'Dare to be Surprised' left me hot and bothered, showing me some promise but always pulling out at the point where I think it might start getting good.

The exact opposite happens here... Possibly one of my favorite albums of 1999 (alongside's Guster's 'Lost and Gone Forever'), 'Dare to Be Surprised' climaxes in ways that music hasn't dome some time... 'My Ritual' adds some strings about 2 minutes into the song that breathe even more energy into a catchy song, although not in the way the listener could sit back and hear 'Natural One' being constructed one layer at a time. 'Free to Go' is as radio-friendly as Lou Barlow can get (incidentally that's the first single). 'Serge' revisits the haunting instrumental compositions we saw in the 'KIDS' soundtrack, this time adding a Western guitar for effect. And in 'Chained on the Moon' Barlow and Davis decide to put in the chorus at the very beginning of the song.

Recommended to any fan of rock who can admire a change of pace.