Public Servant Lifestyle

Lou Barlow returns to the UK to perform songs from his huge back catalogue and current album Emoh, launch a new EP and play with the re-formed Dinosaur Jr. Busy man.

Holding Back The Year by Lou Barlow

Lou Barlow returned to the UK earlier this year to perform songs from his staggering back catalogue, and of course, his gorgeous current album, Emoh. Now he adds to that fine gaggle of songs with a brand new EP.

Holding Back the Year - on the Domino Recordings imprint - is released as a CD and vinyl 7” featuring exclusive new tracks. The new B-sides are acoustic - except for the very not acoustic Refused, which features former collaborators Wally and Russ Pollard.

The CD format of Holding Back The Year has:

1. Holding Back The Year

The opening, title track on the EP and also the first track on the Emoh long-player. Featuring Imaad Wasif on guitar, Corey Kotsionis on ‘voice’ and Jason Lowenstein on drums and percussion – as well as Barlow himself, of course, it’s a veritable tornado of a track.

“The year before the poison took its toll…” sings Lou. The lyrics tell a tale as sweet as any you’re likely to hear this side of chart lyricists at their most saccharine and throw away. The difference is that here it’s the heartfelt sound of a man giving his listeners insight into a simple, grown-up domestic tale – rather than the traditional language of pop music, with its less subtle take on the romance of life.

“...The story ends with friends and early nights. Kitten grown to cat – and no more fights. This is how we stay together now…”

2. Finger

Written with Wally Gagel – who also recorded Caterpillar Girl from the Emoh album in Los Angeles and will probably be known to fans of Lou Barlow as producer on the Folk Implosion material. Finger is as pretty as anything that Barlow has recorded in his acoustic oeuvre. “Learning my lesson well – that I don’t test too well…” he sings. This is gentle, acoustic and very reminiscent of the gentler numbers on Harmacy era Sebadoh (Willing To Wait and Not Like You, in particular).

3. Terrorize
“...see what I’ve reduced us too…” sings Lou in full-on sharp, subtle observation of human relationships mode. Very sweet.

4. Refused
Funky drumming combine with rockier, beefier sounds – the most like Folk Implosion on the EP. More contributions from Wally Gagel, this time on bass guitar and keyboards – with Russ Pollard (formerly of both Sebadoh and the Folk Implosion) providing those funky drum fills and more keyboards! A feast.

The vinyl 7” single features just Holding Back The Year on the a-side, backed with Refused on the ‘b’.

Pure unadulterated solo Lou Barlow was only recently to be found touring these islands, when the man himself appeared on stage across five nights at: Oxford’s Zodiac, London’s Islington Academy, King Tuts in Glasgow, Manchester University Academy 3 and Brighton’s Ocean Rooms.

In Manchester Lou played a storming gig to a tiny – but extremely privileged room (as fate would have it Teenage Fanclub and The Bravery were also both playing at the University that night – and that, together with the early Summer heat seemed to keep people away). “A big rock night tonight!” he joked from the small stage at the smallish crowd huddled round the mosh pit.

But those select few witnessed a superb performer at the peak of his game. All the new album was featured bar a couple of tracks – and the two-hour plus set was, in addition, peppered with oldies. After an initial problem with his on-stage sound (it sounded fine to the audience, but he joked that although he’d played there many times before with a band, this was his first solo go – and it didn’t seem to sound right to him) the evening settled down.

“Rubbish Accents”

Taking requests from the audience (he played Willing To Wait from Harmacy and a host of other songs from way back – and across his back catalogue too numerous to mention) Lou was in fine form, joking and chatting with the audience about his experience filming Laurel Canyon (2004). In this , he played the part of a member of a ‘Britpop’ band “With rubbish accents” (as he put it) and then went on to sell a couple of copies of the new album mid-gig to members of the audience, from right there on the stage. What this gig showed most of all is that – if there was ever any doubt – this is one of the most underrated songwriters working today.

The tender acoustic numbers scattered through his diverse incarnations all stand up alongside the newer Emoh album – and the brasher, band numbers, when scaled down to one-boy-and-his-guitar mode – all stand the more intimate scrutiny too.

Those who stayed out in the bars that night, stayed at home – or even made it as near as the other gigs on at the University - missed a once-in-a-lifetime show.

Lou Barlow has also just performed with the newly reformed, original line-up of Dinosaur Jr. at The Forum and Download Festival, as part of their mammoth reunion tour.

Lou Barlow – a selected discography

As ‘Sebadoh’:

Bubble and Scrape
Bakesale
Harmacy
Versus Helmet
Rockin’ The Forest
The Sedadoh
Smash Your Head On the Punk Rock
Freed Man
Winning Losers: A Collection of Home Recordings.

As ‘Lou Barlow and Friends’:

Another Collection of Home Recordings

As ‘Lou Barlow’:

Lou Barlow & His Sentridoh
Subsonic 6
Emoh (2005)

As ‘Folk Implosion’:

One Part Lullaby
The New Folk Implosion (2003)

Holding Back the Year is out now, from Domino. The full-length Emoh is also still available, as is much of the discography (above), mostly from the same label.

More information available in Music