Even though the moneyed powers-that-be generally manage to keep the worlds of independent music and major-label product separate, every once in awhile something special comes burbling up from the underground to leave its mark on the mainstream.
“Natural One,” a catchy and creepy tune from the soundtrack to Larry Clark’s 1995 film “Kids,” actually went Top 40, as unlikely a fate as anyone might have imagined for a song written by lo-fi recording compatriots Lou Barlow and John Davis, a.k.a. The Folk Implosion.
“Natural One” was just the kind of fluke hit to remind listeners–however fleetingly–that there’s a vast amount of music that seldom reaches the radio. But in the five years since that single, the likelihood the band would ever repeat its success gradually faded. Last year’s “One Part Lullaby,” however, was the great leap forward that few predicted and fewer actually heard, meshing bittersweet melodies and surprisingly slick production with pleasant results.
What makes Folk Implosion different from any of Barlow’s other projects–most notably indie-rock favorite Sebadoh–is the presence of partner Davis. So it was curious to find Barlow himself touring as Folk Implosion, alone on stage with Davis nowhere in sight. But that detail didn’t stop Barlow from selling out two shows at Schubas on Tuesday night, and after a taped greeting from Davis, Barlow set about playing songs that, for better or worse, were drawn from every corner of his career.
Like a hi-tech street busker, Barlow bolstered his acoustic guitar with several prerecorded tracks in an attempt to approximate the endearing bells and whistles of “One Part Lullaby.” For the most part the ruse worked, and songs such as “Free to Go,” “Mechanical Man” and “Chained to the Moon” did justice to their recorded versions. “One Part Lullaby,” “E.Z.L.A.” and “Gravity Decides” in particular benefited from the spare arrangements, with Barlow’s sensitive voice up front and the songs stripped to their most basic and moving elements. A rendition of one of Folk Implosion’s earliest songs, the silly and primitive “Slap Me,” further showed how far the group has come in just a few years.
Sadly, Barlow’s set imploded halfway through, with the singer abandoning his set list and calling for requests. Though stalwart fans and supporters of Barlow’s prodigious output were no doubt entertained by his scrambled efforts to recall songs, it became wearing to wait for Barlow to get his material straight.
What makes “One Part Lullaby” so great is its refreshing sense of focus, something frequently absent in Barlow’s music. By abandoning the framework of that album, the admittedly affable Barlow reverted to the ultra-casual and occasionally rambling persona that has marked so many of his shows, culminating in an unnecessarily sloppy “Natural One” and a sense of opportunity lost.
