Record Exchange Boise

Reviews:

"What do women want?" That question has puzzled men and boys long before Freud famous posed it. On Emoh, Lou Barlow (of Sebadoh and Folk Implosion fame) seems to seek his own solution to the question. Barlow sounds as bemused and confused about women and love as anyone, but his insights are winning even if he sees no happy ending on the horizon. With an acoustic guitar and a mouthful of witty words, Barlow dances through the minefield of modern relationships with a sly, downhearted grace. There are no explosions (or implosions) to shock us, just minor epiphanies and shrewd turns of phrase. Barlow's characters never win the game of love, even when they get the girl. Songs like "If I Could" and "Imagined Life" could melt the coldest heart, as Barlow sadly sings "I get the feeling that my love is not right."

On "Monkey Begun" evolution serves as a metaphor for all that can go right or wrong with a relationship. In a sunnier mood, "Ballad of the Daykitty" is a sing-along children's song and "Mary" is a skewed take on the virgin birth as told by the next door neighbor to Joseph and his bride-the guy who's "the real father, but I'll never tell."