finetune artist: Folk Implosion

This US alternative rock duo was originally formed by Lou Barlow (b. Louis Knox Barlow, 17 July 1966, Dayton, Ohio, USA) of Sebadoh and solo artist John Davis, and came to prominence in 1996 when "Natural One", included on the soundtrack to the controversial movie Kids, became a major US hit. London Records, who issued the soundtrack, were keen to sign the band to a contract, but in the event, Barlow and Davis elected to release their new album on the tiny San Franciscan independent label Communion Records. Davis explained their choice to Billboard magazine: "It will be really exciting to see where the limits are and to see if a real indie label can get played on the radio." Barlow was also keen to emphasize that Folk Implosion was an act in its own right, with two songwriters, and not simply an extension of his activities with Sebadoh. The duo had already released a cassette debut on the UK label Chocolate Monk, and Take A Look Inside ... on Communion long before "Natural One' had become a hit. By the time the endearing Dare To Be Surprised was released in April 1997, Davis had resigned from his previous full-time occupation as a librarian. The album also coincided with the release of Davis" solo effort, Blue Mountain, for Shrimper Records. The duo's major label follow-up was a more cohesive and slickly produced collection of material that attempted to emulate the electronic-flavoured sound of "Natural One", but which ultimately lacked the lo-fi charm of their earlier work. Davis parted company with Barlow in 2001, leaving the latter to soldier on with Sebadoh drummer Russ Pollard and guitarist Imaad Wasif on the disappointing The New Folk Implosion.

Listen to Folk Implosion at Finetune.

Natural One
Free to Go
Insinuation
Nothing Gonna Stop
One Part Lullaby