Lo-fi rock pioneer Lou Barlow is a remarkable musician and there is no questioning his prolific output in such bands as Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh and Folk Implosion, not forgetting the long list of side projects and solo offerings to date. While Barlow might be out of the spotlight in the re-formed Dinosaur Jr with focus squarely on J Mascis, after considering this album’s strong reminder of his talent it would be criminal to view him as the sidekick.

Goodnight Unknown is similar to 2005’s Emoh in a lot of ways, with a balance of acoustic folk and melodic pop rock songs. Even Barlow himself when he describes this album says it’s a cross between the later works of Folk Implosion and his earlier work with Sebadoh.

The album kicks off raucously with plenty of Barlow swagger and stomp on Sharing and continues on in a similar vein with the title track. The likes of One Note Tone and Praise are typical Barlow trademark moments but there is a touch of the melodic with Gravitate and The Right. The soulfulness of The Right is just great and while this isn’t a straight-forward or even immediate release, it’s one of those albums worth sticking with.

Dinosaur Jr play Fowler’s Live on Sat Mar 13.

Rob Lyon

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER!