![[Dare to be Surprised]](folk.gif)
With Dare to be Surprised Lou Barlow and John Davis continue their quest
for a new musical identity. Divorcing themselves from their lo-fi roots
(Sebadoh and Shrimper Records respectively) these indie stalwarts lay down
clean tracks focused around simple guitar patterns, a comfortable beat and
methodical-yet-honest vocals (sometimes in unison). Barlow has openly stated
that he would "love to have an easy-listening favorite, a VH-1 hit" but before
you let that scare you off, note that Dare to be Surprised doesn't sound
like anything on that video channel. The point, though, seems to be that The
Folk Implosion wouldn't sound too out of place in such an environment. No two
songs are alike -- "Wide Web" grooves beautifully with an analog synth bubbling
in the background while "That's the Trick" is a testy fuzzed-up rant and
"(Blank Paper)" proves you don't have to play jazz to make an interesting
guitar duet. One song ("Barricade", on the
boombox) contains finger snaps while another has violins (played from a
keyboard). What it all adds up to is an innovate-yet-accesible album that
could fit just as well on cable television as it does on college radio. Most
likely, though, only the latter will give it the attention it deserves. --Elliott S.