Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Folk Implosion disappeared from view not long after Dare to Be Surprised, which failed to capitalize on "Natural One"'s surprise success. Perhaps the group effort of 1998's The Sebadoh made Lou Barlow want to claim control of Folk Implosion on One Part Lullaby. Though John Davis is credited with co-writing the songs, "Lou sang lead vocal and wrote most of the words," making this feel like a Barlow solo project blessed with greater popcraft. It's more cohesive than Dare to Be Surprised, built around the trip-hop/new wave blend that made "Natural One" a hit, but that turns out to be a mixed blessing. Part of the charm of Folk Implosion was that it felt like two friends just kicking back, making weird noises, and writing quirky songs. Some of that remains, especially in the cheap synths and other electronic instrumentation, but One Part Lullaby is far more measured, filled with songs performed at the same basic tempo, with similar hooks and arrangements. It's not mellow, necessarily, but has a meditative mood, which fits Barlow's disarmingly introspective lyrics -- something familiar to Sebadoh and solo albums, but previously unheard of on Implosion albums. Parts of One Part Lullaby work very well, but it's also curiously flat. The modern rock production feels two years out of date -- shiny and commercial for 1996-1997, but an anomaly in 1999. Barlow's writing is too emotionally insular and musically similar for it to be truly engaging throughout and mutes the carefree spirit of previous Implosion albums; worst of all, it feels like he's repeating himself. That's not to say One Part Lullaby is a failure -- when Barlow and Davis pull it all together, the results are as strong as anything else the duo has recorded. As a whole, however, it winds up being strangely unengaging.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
John Davis, ComposerLyricist - Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Mia Doi Todd, FeaturedArtist - Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Lou Barlow, ComposerLyricist - Walton Steven "Wally" Gagel, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - The Folk Implosion, MainArtist - John Heathcote Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Album review
Folk Implosion disappeared from view not long after Dare to Be Surprised, which failed to capitalize on "Natural One"'s surprise success. Perhaps the group effort of 1998's The Sebadoh made Lou Barlow want to claim control of Folk Implosion on One Part Lullaby. Though John Davis is credited with co-writing the songs, "Lou sang lead vocal and wrote most of the words," making this feel like a Barlow solo project blessed with greater popcraft. It's more cohesive than Dare to Be Surprised, built around the trip-hop/new wave blend that made "Natural One" a hit, but that turns out to be a mixed blessing. Part of the charm of Folk Implosion was that it felt like two friends just kicking back, making weird noises, and writing quirky songs. Some of that remains, especially in the cheap synths and other electronic instrumentation, but One Part Lullaby is far more measured, filled with songs performed at the same basic tempo, with similar hooks and arrangements. It's not mellow, necessarily, but has a meditative mood, which fits Barlow's disarmingly introspective lyrics -- something familiar to Sebadoh and solo albums, but previously unheard of on Implosion albums. Parts of One Part Lullaby work very well, but it's also curiously flat. The modern rock production feels two years out of date -- shiny and commercial for 1996-1997, but an anomaly in 1999. Barlow's writing is too emotionally insular and musically similar for it to be truly engaging throughout and mutes the carefree spirit of previous Implosion albums; worst of all, it feels like he's repeating himself. That's not to say One Part Lullaby is a failure -- when Barlow and Davis pull it all together, the results are as strong as anything else the duo has recorded. As a whole, however, it winds up being strangely unengaging.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:55:01
- Main artists: The Folk Implosion
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Interscope
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1999 Interscope Records ℗ 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.