It has been fourteen long years since the wonderful Sebadoh last released an album, the woefully underrated gem that was ‘the Sebadoh’, and in that time Lou Barlow has kept himself busy with The Folk implosion, solo records and Dinosaur Jnr, the latter outfit releasing the stunning ‘I bet on sky’, an album so bursting with gloriously spiky alternative rock that it seemed as if Sebadoh would never have a reason to return. Then, quietly, in July 2012, the band dropped ‘the secret EP’ via bandcamp on an unsuspecting fan base. As news spread that Lou Barlow, alongside Jason Loewenstein and Bob D’Amico, had returned to action further news appeared that the EP would be released physically, on 10” vinyl and that an LP (‘defend yourself’ due later this year) was on the way. Sebadoh fans everywhere rejoiced.
Music such as ‘the secret EP’ just feels made for vinyl. The scratchy, almost punky sound the band delivered so well on masterwork ‘harmacy’ is fully intact, and Lou has lost none of his ability to pen a great melody. The EP opens with ‘keep the boy alive’, a fast-paced number that is powered by Bob’s rolling drums and a skeletal musical backdrop that sits somewhere between ‘Harmacy’ and Folk Implosion’s ‘one part lullaby’ before the chorus explodes with spiky guitars and you realise that there is no one who has come close to matching Sebadoh’s unparalleled ability to take heartbreak and turn it into something so wondrously bittersweet with the exception of Neil Young, an artist whose work Sebadoh seem to be inching ever closer to. ‘My drugs’ is a punkier number, a cathartic burst of energy that comes tearing out of the first side with unexpected ferocity and jangly guitars that spark with the subversive spirit of vintage Sonic Youth. This contrast is what lay at the heart of ‘Harmacy’, an album that similarly shielded heartbreak and tender feelings with savage blasts of angular, punk energy, and it sounds thrillingly vital on this new EP.
Side B opens up with another Lou number (‘my drugs’ having been written by Jason) entitled ‘arbitrary high’, a driving pop song that recaptures the spirit of ‘beauty of the ride’ with Bob’s tom-heavy drumming and Lou’s voice always sounding slightly overpowered by the waves of distorted guitar washing over it, as if fragility can be banished if the amps are loud enough and the tune powerful enough. ‘I don’t mind’ sees Jason let loose once again, this time with a countrified trawl through the wide, open heartlands of America, as if the band recorded the EP after an epic road trip and were riffing off the inspiration of the journey. It’s a subtle, strangely beautiful track which once again draws comparisons to Neil Young. The final track of this all-too-brief EP is ‘all kinds’, a hyper-speed blast of impossible to classify —pop/rock/alternative/lo-fi (you choose!)— music that once again marks out Sebadoh as a band who have no real peers, because, for all their influences and reference points, they still just sound like Sebadoh and it is difficult to restrain the elation that comes with hearing their first new material after so long a break.
Sebadoh were a band I had long ago given up on ever hearing anything new from. Still much treasured in my collection and often played, it was easy to imagine that Lou Barlow had done away with the band quietly, without fuss or fanfare, and so the excitement that greeted the news of his return to action was palpable. Music is an art form that, for those caught in its thrall, has the power to elate and devastate, thrill and calm in equal measure. Sebadoh’s secret is their ability to capture the bittersweet aftertaste of heartbreak and place it into music that is somehow uplifting, as if by sharing their innermost feelings the band has turned it into a positive communion – a meeting of like-minded spirits through the music. Their music is powerful, beautiful, tinged with sadness and awash with hope, and ‘the secret EP’ captures these things perfectly. If you’ve never heard Sebadoh before then this is a perfect place to start; if, like me, you’ve missed the band in their absence then this is an essential release to help you get reacquainted. Roll on the LP, on the strength of these songs it will be very special indeed.
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