Sebadoh - The Freed Man (2007)

"GIMME INDIE ROCK!" And give us Indie rock they did. The earliest collaborations between Ex-Dino Jr. member Lou B. and veteran W. Mass punk/hardcore scenster Eric Gaffney are collected here on this hand picked reissue. Being a native of Western mass myself, I have a bit of a soft spot for these dudes. When Eric confesses in the liner notes that the "lyrics for 'Ladybug' were written '84 while smoking pot in Greenfield, MA. before I sang a set in a thunder and lightning storm..." I can't help but well up with a little hometown pride. It has been said that these guys were the beginning of lo-fi, the jumping off point for all the would-be troubadours that have holed-up in their bedrooms with 4-tracks recorders, pouring out their guts onto shitty 1/8 inch tape. Everyone from the Elephant 6 Collective to the Animal Collective have borrowed some of the aesthetic first thrown down on these early Sebadoh recordings. More a collage of sounds and ideas than a true album, this is an essential collection for fans and new ears alike.