Artist - Sebadoh
Album - The Freed Man
Label - Domino
The Freed Man is an album of its time - 1988: the time around Lou Barlow leaving Dinosaur Jr - and the burgeoning cassette tape scene that saw artists record thoughts to 4-track and not worry too much about album flow or commercial niceties.
The Freed Man tape has been resurrected by Domino, following the success of the re-release of III, and bolstered with contemporaneous tracks, to create a 52-track CD of remarkable depth.
In here, you can hear where Beck, Guided By Voices, The Flaming Lips and others came from - there is more to the two minutes of Julienne than the whole Panda Bear album.
The Freed Man is all scraps of songs by Barlow and Eric Gaffney, and there is refreshing honesty to its production.
The music is genuinely affecting and timeless - the world may not have been ready for it in 1989, and it certainly isn't likely to be ready for it in 2007, but for some, this album is one and a glorious half hour of creativity, feel and soul.
Rating 8/10
Mike Rea
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