Reason To Live

Lou Barlows 2021 album Reason to Live begins with a glob of analog cassette noise and some vintage four-track murk, and for a second, one wonders if Barlow followed the lead of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, who after years of working in upscale studios returned to his trusty if wobbly-sounding boombox to record 2020s Songs of Pierre Chuvin. Turns out thats not quite the case, as the fidelity of In My Arms improves noticeably a few moments later. But if Barlow has better gear at his disposal today than when he launched Sebadoh at the end of the 1980s, Reason to Live shows he hasnt lost touch with the aesthetic that informed his classic early work. Barlow recorded Reason to Live at home, tackling all the vocals and instruments himself (except for drums on one track), and he remains utterly unafraid to show himself emotionally naked to the world. Lou Barlow in the 21st century is a more confident and better-adjusted man than he was in Sebadohs salad days of the 90s (which is good, since hes a husband and father of three as of 2021), but hes as impassioned as ever, and his testimonies to the life-changing power of love, and the anxieties about a world in a frequent state of crisis speak of a greater maturity while addressing the concerns of the same soul. (And All You People Suck bridges the gap between old Lou and current Lou very well.) One of the genuine upsides of improved home recording technology is that Reason to Live allows us to better appreciate the simple but effective construction of Barlows melodies, as well as his inspired approach to homebrewed arrangements and production, all of which quietly shine on this material. And his singing here is as good as it has ever been, just measured enough but never unsure in its message or emotions. While there are plenty of fans who would like to see Lou Barlow pull that old four-track cassette deck out of mothballs, Reason to Live demonstrates the folly of that thinking, as Barlow is still in touch with what was best about his old work while maturing in the ways that truly matter. ~ Mark Deming