“I’ve never really achieved what I wanted to achieve yet.”
You wouldn’t think to hear that from Lou Barlow, a founding member of Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, two of the most influential and highly praised independent acts of all time.
He’s released a plethora of music throughout his 30 year career, enjoyed critical praise, commercial success and was once referred to by Thurston Moore as having pioneered ‘lo-fi’.
Yet his work has never been occupied with his successes, but rather with the times he hasn’t succeeded. Barlow’s focus on the trials and challenges that we all endure have often laid at the centre of his work, and his recent solo record, Brace The Wave, continues his introspective musing into the struggle.
Yet he doesn’t think of himself as a ‘personal’ songwriter.
“The music I’ve always listened to and the music I gravitate to is personal in nature, and the really aggressive, noisy punk rock that I loved when I was a kid was very personal. And then when I got a little older, and started listening to older music, like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, I find that stuff very personal, so I guess I find it very natural to do that in my own music,” he said.
“It doesn’t feel particularly personal to me, like I think these days, people are much more extremely personal in their music than I am.”
Indeed, Barlow’s music is personal only in the sense that he relays his trials and struggles in a way that a wider audience can relate to.
“I wish I had said a little less, I wish I’d just let the songs speak for themselves”“Last year that Sufjan Stevens record came out, which was an incredibly personal acoustic record, and it was just kinda spellbinding. When I heard it I thought ‘Well, this easily surpasses my entire body of work’, so I have a lot to do. And it amazes me how much music has come out, and continues to come out, that you’re always playing catch up with. You just never know the extent of all the amazing music that’s been made, and that’s being made.”
“So I guess I don’t get too caught up in my own particular journey. Like, I’m very interested in my own story, and keeping it going, and filling in the blanks for myself. Hopefully I just always have that urge to do that,” he said.
Lou Barlow’s growing maturity and progression as a songwriter is also evident on Brace The Wave. While his earlier work with his band Sebadoh was quite aggressive, and equal parts internal and external loathing, his work on Brace The Wave speaks to both an artist, and a human being, that is much more in tune with their emotions.
“I guess in the past I used to be pretty explicit about who the songs were about. And I’ve found that maybe now I wouldn’t be so explicit- now I would probably say less. I wish I had said a little less, I wish I’d just let the songs speak for themselves,” Barlow said.
“For whatever reason, I thought I had to fill in biographical details in order to make the songs more interesting, and I wish I hadn’t, I kind of regret doing that. I think maybe now, I would be a little more tight-lipped about the specifics of songs. I write in a very general way, like I’m not talking about names or mentioning places. There’s a lot of music that’s very specifically biographical, and I write in a more general way, that I feel is a lot closer to country music.”
The album speaks for itself, especially on tracks like ‘Lazy’:
“Take my life turn it around
55, learning to breathe
know I’ve got no right to be down
but I’m so lazy it’s true
simply addicted to you
but it’s over and done with, we’re through”
Despite the clarity and honesty that Barlow infuses his music with, he doesn’t see himself or his music as being revelatory.
“I don’t know, I guess I feel like I’m just part of a larger flow of music. I’ve heard music described as a river, to be pretentious, and it’s like this great flowing river, and so many people are a part of it, and what you do is try to add to that. What people take away from music is what I take away from music, so to be a part of that, and to actually have people take something away from my music is incredibly flattering. But in the end, I’m just mostly concerned with making better music.”
“I don’t really get too caught up in what I do, or what it means to people, because I’m more concerned with what I’m gonna do, and what I might be able to do. I’m mostly interested in potential, how I can make things better,” he said.
While Barlow’s fixation on the future, and “potential” is the fuel that drives many true artists, Barlow’s body of work is already impressive- intimidatingly so, given his vital role in Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, as well as his equally important solo output. Despite such decorated work, Lou Barlow insists that he still has a lot more to do.
[include_post id=”433224″] “I’ve never really achieved what I wanted to achieve yet. Maybe I’ve come close, here and there. But I always hear things that amaze me, by other people.”
This seems to be the case with both his solo output, and his work in Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, which he views as distinctly different, yet equally rewarding.
“It’s cool to be part of a rock band that’s got a real reputation, and a real vibe. I guess when I was a kid, and bands like the Ramones seemed so appealing to me, it’s because they were a group of like-minded people, there was so much energy in these groups.”
It also doesn’t come as a surprise that after the turbulent and admitted “dysfunctional” dynamic within his bands, that Barlow views his solo work as a valuable release.
“It’s just more liberating not having to ask anybody what they think. I’ve worked with a lot of people with really strong personalities, with great tastes, great opinions and great players, but sometimes it’s just good to listen to myself. To just not step on anybody’s toes or worry about the politics,” he said.
Regardless of who he’s playing with, Lou Barlow has truly cemented himself as one of the most dynamic and creative minds in music. Particularly for his early embrace of ‘lo-fi’, which as well as being an aesthetic choice, has also been widely utilised in more current times to accompany music of an honest or personal nature. Sound familiar?
Ultimately, Barlow himself described the concept of ‘lo-fi’ in the most suitable way.
“A raw capture of something.”
Brace the Wave is out now via Domino.
Australian Tour Dates
Mon25th Jan – The Brightside, Bris QLD
Tues 26th Jan – Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Syd NSW
Thurs 28th Jan – Northcote Social Club, Melb VIC
Fri 29th Jan – Crown + Anchor, Adel SA
Sat 30th Jan – Mojos, Freo WA
