Pros: Decent vocals, at times compelling tracks and lovely melodies
Cons: Repetitive beats, melodies, ideas, etc. Dry and boring synths.
The Bottom Line: I wanted to like One Part Lullaby...I really did. But the album has too many problems on the whole for me to even recommend it to listeners.
lambchops's Full Review: One Part Lullaby by The Folk Implosion
Folk Implosion may be best known for the quirky hit Natural One released initially as a part of the Kids soundtrack album. Fortunately, the band at times showcases more talent than evidenced by that one hit.
Formed in 1993, Folk Implosion released two indie records during the mid-1990’s. The duo consisting of prolific singer/songwriter Lou Barlow (he’s also worked with Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.) and guitarist/keyboardist John Davis is best known for that aforementioned alternative pop-rock track. The experimental twosome’s vaguely trip hop and somewhat new wave sound is both entertaining and strange and thus not necessarily the most accessible and easy to appreciate.
On the 1999 Interscope debut, One Part Lullaby, Folk Implosion is both appealing and monotonous. The album sounds somewhat less like the band’s past efforts and somewhat more like Barlow’s solo albums and at times even his other side project Sebadoh. I like to describe the sound as more of something like Soul Coughing mixed with an amalgamation of trip-hop and even acoustic pop with a dash of cheap synths and boring keyboards. I greatly appreciate the funky beats and melody infused with electronic elements although at times find myself yearning for something more.
The songs are on the whole fine, but the album is a bit too repetitive and seems to lack direction. There aren’t any major problems with the music, vocals, or production aside from my dislike for the synths. Rather, issues arise with the songs because they all sound alike. The patterns are the same and the tempo is on the whole very similar. As many criticisms as I have about this album, you’d think it was a clunker. In reality, it’s in all likelihood the most cohesive of the band’s discography and on the whole at least modestly entertaining to fans of indie pop/rock.
One Part Lullaby is relatively lengthy at thirteen songs. Considering the similarities between each track it could have been about three shorter and not have been any less important or for that matter entertaining. It would have also been nice if the production had been less polished. I like production to not be quite so contrived. It is good, yes, but too cliché and clean to really be taken seriously. The goal of the album really seems to have been to expound on the formula that helped Natural One to be popular. In trying so hard to relive that success, the album tends toward the dry side.
The opening track, Myritual is impressive. I love the low sound of the vocals and instrumentation. The tendency toward bassy melodies is also quite nice. And with the inclusion of a refreshing acoustic guitar the song is whole and round and exceptionally appealing. If the album had drawn upon Myritual and gone in different directions and different speeds, it would have been better.
One Part Lullaby is also a lovely track. The production is reminiscent of some of my favorite trip-hop songs. Barlow’s vocals are understated and lightly distorted. Again, it’s a lovely track that borders on intellectually stimulating. And, as the second song on the album, the formula hasn’t yet become tired and lackluster. It is, in fact, one of my favorite songs on the album.
The pace picks up a bit with Free To Go. Upbeat and attractive, the song includes strange percussion ranging from a cowbell to tambourine. When compared to the majority of the other tracks on One Part Lullaby, Free To Go is certainly a musical departure. It’s also by far one of the most widely appealing and would have been a likely college rock sensation.
After the first three songs, the album takes a few wrong turns. Serge is blah, boring, repetitive, and wholly strange. I can stomach strangeness with purpose, but this song seems to lack any real explanation. E.Z.L.A. is the epitome of bad music. It’s as though Barlow went crazy with the programming. Seriously. This song is monotonous crap that shouldn’t ever have seen the light of day. Mechanical Man continues in this same rut with tinny production and much too repetitive synthesizers and keyboards. Though, on a positive note Barlow’s smooth vocals at times save the song from complete self-destruction.
Folk Implosion redeems itself with Kingdom of Lies. The track reminds me very specifically of New Wave with deep, brooding synthesizers complimented by clean vocals and guitars. What I most enjoy about the song is that it also sounds very much like hard rock at times. It is, in fact, the heaviest rocking song on the entire album. I highly recommended this tune.
One Part Lullaby continues on a nearly positive note with the country rock influenced Gravity Decides. The duo owes as much to country music as it does to late 1960’s psychedelia. It’s mellow, melodic, and monotonous. The monotony is at times annoying because it overshadows the melody and even meditative feel of the track.
Chained to the Moon could have been better. It features a inspiring melody and pseudo-experimental feel. But, the real problem comes about with the fact that it sounds like it’s pulled directly from the 1987 album from some random New Wave has been band. Merry-Go-Down is also crap. It sounds very much like Gravity Decides rather than creating its own ambient feel. Continuing down the path to destruction, Someone You Love lacks direction and purpose. It does have a decent beat but ultimately fails to catch my attention. The use of cheap synthesizers could have sounded experimental, but in the case of No Need to Worry it just sounds like a remixed janky version of Natural One.
I had hoped that the last song would at least be decent. Alas, Back to the Sunrise incorporates those problematic synthesizers, clean production, and the same formula exploited throughout the album on the whole. Skip it. Hell, you can skip almost half the album and not have missed out on anything of importance.
Folk Implosion shows great talent and great possibility with One Part Lullaby but comes up short when the album is looked at on the whole. I wish that they would have expanded their horizons and come up with some new and different musical angles. Instead, it’s dry and repetitive with only an occasional great moment. This is a decent album, however with the problems common throughout the album I can’t possibly recommend it to people not already familiar with Folk Implosion. Some of the songs are enjoyable, therefore I’m don’t feel completely ripped off. So there you have it, average album.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Myritual
2. One Part Lullaby
3. Free to Go
4. Serge
5. E.Z.L.A.
6. Mechanical Man
7. Kingdom of Lies
8. Gravity Decides
9. Chained to the Moon
10. Merry-Go-Down
11. Someone You Love
12. No Need to Worry
13. Back to the Sunrise
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.