Sebadoh

Love got you down? Head to the T.L.A. on Saturday for a night of gut-wrenching self-examination and narcissistic heartbreak because Sebadoh's love songs for the thrift-store set are coming to town.

In its earliest incarnation, Sebadoh was a lo-fi collaboration between band members Jason Lowenstein, Lou Barlow, and Eric Gaffney to explore every rock idea from punk to folk to avant garde tape hiss. The results ranged from brilliant to annoying. When Gaffney finally left the band for good in 1993, Sebadoh added drummer Bob Fay and released Bakesale, an excellent record which highlighted Barlow and Lowenstein's diverse song-writing styles.

On their latest release, Harmacy, Sebadoh actually sounds like a cohesive band for the first time. Granted, Barlow still writes the forlorn songs that have endeared him to sensitive indie-guys and Lowenstein writes rockers that would sound at home in the Spectrum circa 1974, but the lines between their two styles have blurred.

The Barlow-penned "Ocean," is a bouncy rocker with a playful, snaky guitar line. Lowenstein's "Nothing Like You," rocks so sadly that I'd bet Barlow's not the only one in this band to get jilted by a lover. Cohesiveness makes Harmacy sound more organic, unlike previous releases which sounded like certain band members weren't even in the room when the song was recorded.

Will this consistency translate into commercial success? If Barlow's mini-radio hit "Natural One," from the Kids soundtrack is any indication, it looks good. Harmacy is the most accessible record Sebadoh's released yet, but you should roll on down to South Street on the fifth to find out for yourself.

Sebadoh with Those Bastard Souls and Elliot Smith, Saturday, Sept.7 at the T.L.A., 4th and South Sts., 922-1011

— Mitchell Prothero

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