In the Nineties, Sebadoh could be lifesavers: Lou Barlow's sad and brutally honest songs could even render heartbreaking lyrics about masturbation. They were in no way hits, but they are still among the all time favourites to indie fans all over the world. With fellow bandleader Jason Loewenstein and new drummer Bob Fay, the band got together in a modest home recording studio and in almost no time put another classic indie rock record to tape. There are still no hit songs to be found, but there are plenty of new favourites, as always.
artistxite: “Defend Yourself“ sounds more like a sequel to “Harmacy“ from 1996 than to your last album “The Sebadoh“. In retrospect, are you happy with how “The Sebadoh“ turned out?
Lou Barlow: Yes, I am! We made what I consider to be a powerful, well recorded LP. When “The Sebadoh“ was made, we had a large budget and a lot of time to work on it. I think it's great! Several songs on it are a perfect combination of full fidelity recording combined with our rough aesthetics. “Defend Yourself“ was far cheaper to record and modest in scope, but that is a reflection of the times.
artistixite: How do you regard your own status as “lo-fi heroes“? Is there still some appeal to tape hiss and background noise to you?
Barlow: Music, to me, is about the melody, lyrics and atmosphere. Great results can be achieved under any condition! I do gravitate towards naturalistic, raw recordings, but I think that most people do, as evidenced by “lo-fi“ recording techniques in hip-rock, rock, folk etc. becoming mainstream over the last twenty years. Lo-fi creates intimacy and adds texture to otherwise sterile modern recordings.
artistxite: What took you so long to get back together?
Barlow: We needed to solidify the line-up by finding a reliable drummer and then find the time to record. Because of my obligations to Dinosaur Jr and the fact that we live on opposite ends of the continent, this took awhile to happen.
artistxite: Sebadoh were back as a live act quite a while before you resurfaced as recording artists. When did you decide to make another album, when you got together again or more recently?
Barlow: We always knew we would record again. Like I said, it was only difficult to find the time. In 2011 we began to speak in definitive terms about a new album. Instead of saying "We should make a new record", we began asking, “WHEN do we make a new record?“
artistxite: Jason and you are both quite active in social media, so touring and the recording process of “Defend Yourself“ is documented well on Facebook. What is to be gained and what is probably lost by this very direct way of communicating with fans?
Barlow: I can't think of anything that could be lost by this. Sebadoh have never been a mysterious band, we have always been accessible. In some ways this can make us more vulnerable to criticism and personal attacks, but mostly it makes it possible for us to directly express our appreciation to and for the people that like us. It's preferable to being isolated and relying on paid mediators. Zum Original
artistxite: “Defend Yourself“ sounds more like a sequel to “Harmacy“ from 1996 than to your last album “The Sebadoh“. In retrospect, are you happy with how “The Sebadoh“ turned out?
Lou Barlow: Yes, I am! We made what I consider to be a powerful, well recorded LP. When “The Sebadoh“ was made, we had a large budget and a lot of time to work on it. I think it's great! Several songs on it are a perfect combination of full fidelity recording combined with our rough aesthetics. “Defend Yourself“ was far cheaper to record and modest in scope, but that is a reflection of the times.
artistixite: How do you regard your own status as “lo-fi heroes“? Is there still some appeal to tape hiss and background noise to you?
Barlow: Music, to me, is about the melody, lyrics and atmosphere. Great results can be achieved under any condition! I do gravitate towards naturalistic, raw recordings, but I think that most people do, as evidenced by “lo-fi“ recording techniques in hip-rock, rock, folk etc. becoming mainstream over the last twenty years. Lo-fi creates intimacy and adds texture to otherwise sterile modern recordings.
artistxite: What took you so long to get back together?
Barlow: We needed to solidify the line-up by finding a reliable drummer and then find the time to record. Because of my obligations to Dinosaur Jr and the fact that we live on opposite ends of the continent, this took awhile to happen.
artistxite: Sebadoh were back as a live act quite a while before you resurfaced as recording artists. When did you decide to make another album, when you got together again or more recently?
Barlow: We always knew we would record again. Like I said, it was only difficult to find the time. In 2011 we began to speak in definitive terms about a new album. Instead of saying "We should make a new record", we began asking, “WHEN do we make a new record?“
artistxite: Jason and you are both quite active in social media, so touring and the recording process of “Defend Yourself“ is documented well on Facebook. What is to be gained and what is probably lost by this very direct way of communicating with fans?
Barlow: I can't think of anything that could be lost by this. Sebadoh have never been a mysterious band, we have always been accessible. In some ways this can make us more vulnerable to criticism and personal attacks, but mostly it makes it possible for us to directly express our appreciation to and for the people that like us. It's preferable to being isolated and relying on paid mediators. Zum Original