Folk Implosion disappeared from view not long after
Dare to Be Surprised, which failed to capitalize on "Natural One"'s surprise success. Perhaps the group effort of 1998's
The Sebadoh made
Lou Barlow want to claim control of
Folk Implosion on
One Part Lullaby. Though
John Davis is credited with co-writing the songs, "
Lou sang lead vocal and wrote most of the words," making this feel like a
Barlow solo project blessed with greater popcraft. It's more cohesive than
Dare to Be Surprised, built around the trip-hop/new wave blend that made "Natural One" a hit, but that turns out to be a mixed blessing. Part of the charm of
Folk Implosion was that it felt like two friends just kicking back, making weird noises, and writing quirky songs. Some of that remains, especially in the cheap synths and other electronic instrumentation, but
One Part Lullaby is far more measured, filled with songs performed at the same basic tempo, with similar hooks and arrangements. It's not mellow, necessarily, but has a meditative mood, which fits
Barlow's disarmingly introspective lyrics -- something familiar to
Sebadoh and solo albums, but previously unheard of on
Implosion albums. Parts of
One Part Lullaby work very well, but it's also curiously flat. The modern rock production feels two years out of date -- shiny and commercial for 1996-1997, but an anomaly in 1999.
Barlow's writing is too emotionally insular and musically similar for it to be truly engaging throughout and mutes the carefree spirit of previous
Implosion albums; worst of all, it feels like he's repeating himself. That's not to say
One Part Lullaby is a failure -- when
Barlow and
Davis pull it all together, the results are as strong as anything else the duo has recorded. As a whole, however, it winds up being strangely unengaging. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine