CULT RECORD: SEBADOH: "SEBADOH III" (1992)

Freed from Dinosaur Jr. in 1989, tune machine Lou Barlow has chiseled out a body of work that spans the spectrum of '90s postpunk. Barlow has both followed post-Nirvana moves toward the mainstream by making the sloppy college-radio fave Sebadoh into a tight construction of indie tune and hard rock, while continuing to lead the lo-fi avant-garde, reinterpreting rock and folk cliches from the privacy of his living room.
 Sebadoh III consolidated Barlow's folk and punk sides into a lengthy, varied summation of college-rock, beginning with an anthemic dis of either former bandmate J Mascis or an ex-girlfriend ("Freed Pig), and running through a catalog of acoustic love and confusion ("Truly Great Thing"), lo-fi guitar mess ("Limb by Limb"), and offhanded pop catchiness ("Kath"). The album was a meeting place for indie universes, the lyrics encapsulating a post-grad world equal parts earnest good sense and absurdity, the music adding abstraction and a hard edge to R.E.M.-style folk-pop.

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