{"id":36472,"date":"2021-04-12T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T17:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=36472"},"modified":"2021-04-11T19:07:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T23:07:28","slug":"lou-barlow-announces-new-solo-lp-reason-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=36472","title":{"rendered":"Lou Barlow announces new solo LP &#8216;Reason to Live&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it\u2019s clear life isn\u2019t just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we\u2019re chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow\u2019s new solo album,\u00a0\u2018Reason to Live,\u2019 he has come to an understanding of that swirl rather than trying to contain it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018R<em>eason to Live<\/em>\u2019 will be out on\u00a0May 28th\u00a0via Joyful Noise.\u00a0The first lead single <em>Over You<\/em> is out now and you can watch the video created by Lou and his wife Adelle via YouTube below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zu6IBEPd9Ws?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Lou says about the song:<em> \u201cOver You is based on one melody and lyric fragment I captured on cassette back in 1982 or so. In 2019, I decided to resurrect and expand this nugget for my \u2018Artist Enabler Series\u2019 for Joyful Noise. I used some of the original lyrics: \u2018I knew everything about you. I knew nothing about you\u2019 and built on that feeling, the phrase \u2018over you\u2019 became the chorus. I recorded the basic tracks for the new version onto cassette in an attempt to mimic the atmosphere of the original.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video for <em>Over You<\/em>, which Lou directed with his wife Adele, plays off the lyrics. &#8220;<em>I talked to my wife, Adelle, about things in our lives that we\u2019ve never been \u2018over.\u2019 We moved from California six years ago, a place that we both loved. We started compiling home videos from our times living there (17 years in my case) and scenes from some &#8217;80s movies that were filmed in LA. When we combined the footage it seemed to work with the song. I can\u2019t say that I was thinking about anything specifically when I recorded Over You, it came from the general longing of my teenage years, but I can definitely say I miss the golden state.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More about \u00a0\u2018Reason to Live\u2019<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>As a long-time indie legend, Barlow has found a life akin to a middle-class musician. In recent years, he\u2019s moved from Los Angeles back to Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three kids. And yet rather than settle into a comfortable malaise or yearn for the open road, Barlow\u2019s strengthened urgency finds a way to merge the two instincts.\u00a0\u2018Reason to Live\u2019\u00a0is shambolic and grand yet intimate and doting, warmly acoustic and crackling with grit. <em>\u201cI had been struggling for a way to connect both my home life and my recorded life, but this record is the first time I&#8217;ve integrated that,\u201d<\/em> Barlow says. By folding the many facets of his life into one package,\u00a0\u2018Reason to Live\u2019\u00a0radiates with a renewed balance and calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That comfort in complexity shines through even in the recording process, with select songs having origins in decades past and others written in the early stages of 2020. Barlow wrote lead single <em>Love Intervene<\/em> in 2018, and set out to recreate the layered acoustics while adapting the lyrics to his new present. The resulting propulsive track rides on interlocking strumming patterns, Barlow\u2019s voice as crisp as a New England breeze. <em>\u201cTide after tide, change is the meaning of life\/ It turns any wall into sand,\u201d<\/em> he exhales, before yet again calling for love to lead the way through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Album opener <em>In My Arms<\/em> quite literally pulls from Barlow\u2019s teen years, utilizing a sample of a recording he made in 1982. The track feels stuffed with burnished layers, Barlow\u2019s dueling guitar solos and unique strumming patterns threading through the verses. \u201c<em>Lyrically, the song is about rediscovering the initial spark to make music,\u201d <\/em>he says. <em>\u201cI feel like I was finally able to re-embrace my fundamental inspirations to make music.\u201d<\/em> There are echoes of the four-track wizardry of\u00a0<em>Sebadoh III\u00a0<\/em>and the Sentridoh years, but lyrically Barlow cracks those layers apart to reflect on his newly layered life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the gruffer themes on the album come delivered in a bronzy sheen. The chorus to <em>All You People Suck<\/em> burns with sincerity and certainty rather than biting venom, his river of acoustic chords makes the conclusion inevitable. Barlow recorded the track in a hotel bathroom while on tour, and the exhausted frustration breathes easily. \u201c<em>All you people lost\/ And the light that draws you in\/ Be it torch or burning cross\/ Your beginning and your end,\u201d<\/em> he arcs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to his trademark acoustic chording,\u00a0\u2018Reason to Live\u2019\u00a0utilizes the wide variety of sonic touchstones in Barlow\u2019s kit. His rise in the indie rock scene may most obviously be tied to his personal experience in hardcore and punk music, but soft rock and disco were swirled into the mix as well. As such, the nostalgic <em>Maumee<\/em> (about the river that runs through Ohio, near where Barlow was raised) thumps along on a soft folksy wave, while <em>Thirsty<\/em> could comfortably be amped into a bloodthirsty metal cut. \u201c<em>I wanted to make personal soft rock songs in a way that makes people feel extremely uncomfortable,\u201d <\/em>Barlow laughs. \u201c<em>I always wanted to bring the raw, personal sensibility of a hardcore song into an acoustic mode.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The multitude of whirring messages of\u00a0\u2018Reason to Live\u2019 are united by Barlow\u2019s roiling multilayered arrangements and the understanding that change is inevitable&#8211;and that it can bring you a new reason to live in the darkest times. \u201c<em>This album is me really opening up, and the album follows that through its many different themes,\u201d <\/em>he says. <em>\u201cSome of my other work could be almost claustrophobic in its insistence on being all tied together but there\u2019s space for people to live inside these songs.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After albums with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and under his own name, listeners may have felt they knew the construction of a Barlow song, even that they knew Barlow himself. <em>\u201cPeople have this vision of me as this heartbroken, depressed guy, but this record feels so true to who I am, to this rich life I now have full of people I love,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201c<em>The songs culminated over the last five years to show that music has returned to its central comforting role in my life. Now I\u2019m home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=36472\" title=\"Lou Barlow announces new solo LP &#8216;Reason to Live&#8217;\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[22,23,28,30],"tags":[4191,3259,10162,10161],"class_list":["post-36472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-indie","category-music","category-new-release","tag-joyful-noise-recordings","tag-lou-barlow","tag-over-you","tag-reason-to-live"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/192624C4-551A-412D-BD72-4E5C5210AF42.jpeg?fit=425%2C425&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-9ug","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14675,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=14675","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":0},"title":"Lou Barlow streams new LP &#8216;Brace the Wave&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Lou Barlow will release his first solo album in six years, 'Brace the Wave,' on September 4 via Joyful Noise Recordings. You can\u00a0stream the full record via NPR's First Listen. If you want to pick up the album, it's\u00a0available for pre-order on black & coloured vinyl, CD, cassette, and digitally.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lou Barlow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18856,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=18856","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":1},"title":"Lou Barlow shares new video for &#8216;Nerve&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"December 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Lou Barlow released\u00a0'Brace the Wave,' his first solo album in six years, in September via Joyful Noise. It's currently\u00a0available for purchase\u00a0on black and coloured vinyl, CD, cassette, and digitally, and you can stream the full album via\u00a0Spotify. Barlow shares\u00a0the\u00a0video for Nerve, a candid cut from the album that focuses on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lou Barlow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Lou-Barlow.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23908,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=23908","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":2},"title":"Lou Barlow releases &#8216;Apocalypse Fetish&#8217; video","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"October 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, the Folk Implosion) has just released his new EP,\u00a0'Apocalypse Fetish' via Joyful Noise Recordings. It's follow-up to last year's\u00a0'Brace The Wave' -his first solo release in six years -- it features five new tracks recorded with Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab in Easthampton, Massachusetts. To coincide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lou Barlow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/9c23ba79-c5f7-479b-9613-1b6a918e2196.jpg?fit=550%2C409&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/9c23ba79-c5f7-479b-9613-1b6a918e2196.jpg?fit=550%2C409&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/9c23ba79-c5f7-479b-9613-1b6a918e2196.jpg?fit=550%2C409&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22975,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=22975","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":3},"title":"Dumb Numbers shares &#8216;Unbury The Hatchet&#8217; (featuring David Yow)","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"August 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Dumb Numbers is Australian musician Adam Harding, along with a rotating cast of friends & contributors that includes Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr. \/ Sebadoh), Dale Crover (Melvins), David Yow (the Jesus Lizard \/ Scratch Acid), Murph (Dinosaur Jr.), Bobb Bruno (Best Coast) and more. The band's sophomore LP, 'Dumb Numbers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dumb Numbers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/cfe9d918-ad45-494b-8e1b-5bcd6fd703ef.jpg?fit=600%2C396&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/cfe9d918-ad45-494b-8e1b-5bcd6fd703ef.jpg?fit=600%2C396&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/cfe9d918-ad45-494b-8e1b-5bcd6fd703ef.jpg?fit=600%2C396&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14597,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=14597","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":4},"title":"Dumb Numbers announces 10&#8243; splits with David Lynch, Melvins &#038; David Yow","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"August 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Dumb Numbers is Australian video maker and musician Adam Harding with\u00a0a revolving cast of musical collaborators, including Lou Barlow\u00a0(Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr), Dale Crover (Melvins), Murph (Dinosaur Jr),\u00a0David Yow (Scratch Acid, the Jesus Lizard), Kevin Rutmanis (Cows,\u00a0Melvins), Alexander Hacke (Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten), Bobb Bruno (Best\u00a0Coast), Jenny Lee Linberg (Warpaint), Bonnie Mercer (Grey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;live&quot;","block_context":{"text":"live","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=25"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dumb-numbers.jpg?fit=600%2C364&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dumb-numbers.jpg?fit=600%2C364&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dumb-numbers.jpg?fit=600%2C364&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15195,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=15195","url_meta":{"origin":36472,"position":5},"title":"Stream Dumb Numbers&#8217; Twin Peaks inspired track from upcoming split single","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"September 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Dumb Numbers is Australian video maker and musician Adam Harding, along with a revolving cast of collaborators that includes Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr), Dale Crover (Melvins), Murph (Dinosaur Jr), David Yow (Scratch Acid, the Jesus Lizard), Kevin Rutmanis (Cows, Melvins), Alexander Hacke (Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten), Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), Jenny\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=28"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Dumb-Numbers.jpg?fit=500%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36472"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36475,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36472\/revisions\/36475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}