In the ever-shifting spheres of indie and (semi-) popular music,
today’s It Boy/Girl is destined to be tomorrow’s has-been. Dinosaur Jr.
and Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow doesn’t have to worry about such petty things.
Goodnight Unknown finds him in fine form, retaining the right
stuff but also aging (a recurring theme) quite gracefully. The album
begins with the roaring, pounding cadence of “Sharing,” its mini-Wall
of Sound production and haunting vocal melody sounding like Phil
Spector producing latter-day Hüsker Dü. Barlow’s hushed,
diaphanous Nick Drake-like vocals are captivatingly winsome and
wise-sounding on the medium-fast strummer “Too Much Freedom” (which
includes some subtle country undertones) and the pensive yet oddly
lilting “I’m Thinking … .” Driven by acoustic guitars, the overall
tone is folky and contemplative, yet Goodnight is zesty
throughout, never lapsing into coffeehouse open-mic night
self-absorption. — Mark Keresman
This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2009.
