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Sep 8, 2015So Brace the Wave reveals that Lou Barlow hasn't changed all that much in the past quarter-century--he's just better at this stuff, and has finally grown more comfortable with it.
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MagnetOct 14, 2015A notably more polished and considered affair than his erstwhile Sentridoh offerings, though it captures a comparable sense of intimacy and immediacy. [No. 125, p.54]
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Sep 4, 2015Brace The Wave isn’t exactly original or inventive, but what it lacks in innovation, it makes up for in emotional honesty.
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Sep 8, 2015What's most remarkable about this album is, despite the high gravitas of the subject manner, it still manages to capture the yearning and imagination of youth, and never loses touch with the redemptive qualities of interpersonal connectedness.
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Nov 3, 2015This is a mostly unembellished, minimal collection of starkly maximal songs that (forgive me) suggests it might be Barlow's Nebraska.
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Sep 17, 2015Maintaining a punk approach, Brace the Wave was partially written and recorded on the fly with Dinosaur Jr. producer Justin Pizzoferrato, its poignant urgency proving refreshing.
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Sep 8, 2015Whilst it hardly breaks new ground, either generally or for Barlow as an artist, Brace The Wave offers further evidence of Barlow’s core talents.
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Sep 8, 2015Brace the Wave, then, picks up some of that slack, and is a much more tonally consistent record.
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UncutSep 3, 2015[Brace The Wave] sounds like it was recorded in a toilet, with Barlow playing an adapted ukulele. The songs, though, are as good as anything he's done with Sebadoh or Folk Implosion. [Oct 2015, p.71]
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Sep 3, 2015It’s his cleanest, most optimistic recording, far from the lo-fi yearnings of before, but still ultimately a document of his personality as a bedroom bard for the insecure and introspective.
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Nov 6, 2015Across nine one-word titled songs, Barlow finds a kind of peace while dabbling in self-loathing, alongside domesticity and redemption.
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Sep 8, 2015Brace the Wave doesn’t really crest above Barlow’s torrential output, it’s just another pre-frayed entry in a catalog of scratchy home recordings.
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Q MagazineSep 3, 2015It acts as a skilled and timely reminder of his own uniquely vulnerable vision as a songwriter. [Oct 2015, p.102]
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MojoSep 3, 2015At times feeling almost uncomfortably personal, i the main these indie-folk confessionals are kept just the right side of maudlin to make Barlow's exposed emotional workings a surprisingly engaging listen. [Oct 2015, p.96]
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Sep 3, 2015After a few spins, some melodies seem a little less meandering. That’s part of the charm for this predominantly acoustic indie folk that feels as honest and truthful as it sounds.
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Sep 8, 2015This feels like an opportunity missed; his defences are never truly down, and we’re only offered tantalising glimpses of what might have been.