The Folk Implosion

Lou Barlow states his case on "My Ritual," the first song of the Folk Implosion's wonder-filled
third album. Leading a sweet chorus of croons that would impress the Byrds, he declares,
"It's getting easy not to suffer all the time . . . /Happy anarchy is all I really crave." That's the
tenor of One Part Lullaby, a CD that takes sardonic low-fi minimalism and makes it into
transcendentally tinny pop. Lullaby lilts and entices without losing its smirk. The... More >

"I didn't leave my room till I learned how to drive," Lou Barlow recalls about being 17, which is probably why he seems retarded to this day. He's not a thug or a dolt, God knows. But he has the awkward aura of someone whose social IQ is 100 points below his math-and-verbal, and I wouldn't bet his socks always match. This is so pretty it's almost a poem about quiet lyricism--and so passive you want to put crystal meth in its apple juice. (Grade: B+)