Sebadoh - The Freed Man

Domino

Lou Barlow has been involved in some of the most vital and important music made in the late 20th century. With Dinosaur Jr, he helped a million kids remember how to rock, but not to be a cliché. However, with Sebadoh he became a lynchpin in the nascent lo-fi scene, and helped define an aesthetic which has become one of the vital building blocks of contemporary music; the ability to do it yourself.

‘The Freed Man’ was the opening shot in this lo-fi odyssey, and as such is difficult to evaluate from a contemporary standpoint. In context, it is a collection of nonsense songs, recorded on absurdly primitive equipment with scant regard to quality and tuning. There are a few gems in there, but the majority frequently does not even resemble music. But the real quality lies in the fact that the end result is one of the most liberating recordings ever released. There is a palpable sense of freedom bursting out of every note played (hence the title), and one can hear both Barlow and his musical partner Eric Gaffney revelling in the opportunity to indulge their every whim.

To modern ears, it probably just sounds like two stoned guys mucking about - which is not an unfair assessment - but the real importance of this recording is in what it represents, rather than what it sounds like. In that way, it’s an important historical document, but not something that everyone is going to want to listen to on a regular basis.

Words_Steven Rainey

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Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.