The Folk Implosion

• Dare to Be Surprised [Communion, 1997] *
• One Part Lullaby [Interscope, 1999] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Dare to Be Surprised [Communion, 1997]
as comforting as an old pair of jeans, and as apt to fall apart ("Insinuation," "Pole Position") *

One Part Lullaby [Interscope, 1999]
"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. B+