Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
what's not to get ?, March 21, 1999
By A Customer
First off, this is the best Sebadoh album since Bubble & Scrape. Second, they didn't kick out Eric Gaffney. He quit/rejoined so many times that it became tedious with the final straw coming when he decided he was better off as an 'absentee' member - i.e just send me my royalty check and I'll send you my songs. Third, I don't really see how people can't 'get' this album . What's to get ? It's a collection of songs. It ain't 'Sgt. Pepper' or 'Dark Side of the Moon'. There's no interwoven theme or message. There's some loud songs and there's a couple slower ones. Russ Pollard's drumming is great and adds tremendous rhythmic variety that's been missing. They took some chances - 'Flame' is unlike anything they've ever done. They use more keyboards (almost every song) then they've ever done. You people expect too much out of your geniuses.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Things change, evolve, devolve...move on., December 7, 1999
Of course, not all people who like Sebedoh will think this album deserves 4 stars. Looking back to "3," "Bakesale," and "Smash Your Head On the Punk Rock" (some earlier, wonderful albums), this CD certainly feels strange.But here's my theory -- as bands grow and shrink and change with the tides of music, and as the Backstreet Boys take over the pop charts, how can we call "The Sebedoh" selling out? It is either an evolution or a devolution, whatever you want to call it, but it is full of the same interesting, cerebral, wearing-stompy-black-boots-to-the-prom songwriting that we have come to love from this band. If you know the band, you may be cranky about this CD. But I see it as just different, not more nor less. And if you have never heard Sebedoh, this is a good place to start.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A shame existing fans can't get with it, December 6, 2000
Lou Barlow said in an interview when this came out that it was no longer 'Lo-Fi' but now 'Mid-Fi'. That sounds accurate to me. Jason Lowenstein's songs are still edgy, nervy and powerful, but a little more controlled. It's All You is a particularly superb bouncy, punky, funky epic, with a great insistant guitar line and an unconventional structure. It gloriously ends when you least expect it, making you want to ehar it again. I also loved Decide, Cuban and Bird In the Hand (short but sweet) out of Jason's repetoire.But I think Lou Barlow is one of the most oconsistantly under-rated songwriters in the world today, and The Sebadoh found him on top form. Flame's rythm sets it apart from so much around today, and Tree has a subtle but memorable melody. When he writes slow songs he connects as well- look at (or better yet listen to) Love Is Stronger is the top proof of this. But its in writing subtle guitar pop like Weird and Colorblind where his real talent is. Sebadoh have moved on from their earlier sound, no queastion. But to me they're still one of the most vital bands going.
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