Sebadoh - Bakesale

MINE

Oh, I'm sorry, YourZ - I know this is your first favourite and I tried, I really tried to like it.  But it's no way as good as Harmacy - except perhaps for the opening number.  The rest of it was kind of ordinary.  It's pretty typical of that indie sound that was all around in 1994.  The production's OK but there's nothing to make me wake up and say hello.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

My first choice out is Bakesale, by Sebadoh.  This album, probably more than any other of the time (with a possible exception being Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement), was the one that helped define me as both a fan and a songwriter.  I wasn't interested in the glamour and sheen of big production nor could I give two shits for high fashion either in video or on stage.  What I wanted was something raw, impassioned and personal.  And Sebadoh had this in spades.

Not as lo-fi as previous albums, Bakesale garnered the band some mainstream attention, particularly on the back of singles Rebound, Skulls and Magnets Coil, all emotive slices of indie rock.  Main man, Lou Barlow, seemed to be able to tap into the emotional bedrock of a generation of slackers with his self-deprecating lyrics.  But the strength of this album doesn't belong to Barlow alone.  Jason Lowenstein's contributions to the album are as equally strong and in tune with the times.

The follow up to this, Harmacy, which we reviewed here, continued in a similar vein, although it could never quite match up to the sheer emotional weight of Bakesale, at least not for me, anyway.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP


For more information go to http://www.sebadoh.com/

Sebadoh - Harmacy

MINE

OK, not what I expected.  For some reason I'd equated Sebadoh in my head with another shouty-boy-band.  But lo, as I listened, I was occasionally delighted by what I heard.  OK, it does on occasion move across to the harder-edged sound.  But generally it's perfectly (to me) acceptable, and beautifully mixed music.  Which wasn't what I was expecting when I'd read these guys were proponents of the "lo-fi" sound I have previously dissed.  At length.  (YourZ sez: I'm not surprised you like this - you gave Pavement a 'Turn It Up' too.)

So maybe I'll gingerly dip into some of their earlier albums.  And hopefully I won't be disappointed.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

YOURZ

There was a time when I thought Sebadoh were the best band in the world.  I have a copy of their previous album, the classic Bakesale, that's been played so much, the cover is worn and falling apart.  They toured Australia and played a blistering set at an inner city venue that has since been closed and torn down (no reflection on them, of course).

Even after getting Harmacy, I continued to play the forerunner more than I ever did this.  But this isn't to say this isn't an awesome album, 'cause it is.  The leap from Barlow-voiced numbers to the Loewenstein blasts of punk is fabulous, along with the instrumentals (particularly Sforzando! - written by drummer Bob Fay).

It is the strength of both Loewenstein and Barlow's song writing that is really highlighted here, along with the former's trust of the latter to take the lead on his songs.  It really shows a band working to its fullest capacity. But it's really the Barlow penned numbers that shine through.  His heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics along with the sad-sack delivery is what spoke to the younger man back then, still trying to find his feet through his heart and failing miserably.  Thankfully, I've never suffered depression but I've felt it vicariously through people such as Lou Barlow.  Just listen to Too Pure (played here at the show I attended all those years ago) and I think you'll understand what I'm on about.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.sebadoh.com/

In our collection we also have Bakesale and Bubble & Scrape