Harmacy

Harmacy occupies an interesting place in Lou Barlow’s career. Sebadoh had been a lo-fi experimental side project that became his main gig once he was ousted from Dinosaur Jr. in the '90s. 1994’s Bakesale had featured a few more easily accessible tracks, and Barlow had an unexpected Top 40 hit with “Natural One” under the name The Folk Implosion. Perhaps spurred on by this success, Barlow wrote some songs that were even more tuneful and melodic, while fellow member Jason Loewenstein stuck closer to raw punk rock (especially well on “Crystal Gypsy,” “Zone Doubt,” “Worst Thing," and “Mind Reader”). Barlow did manage the loud ‘n’ proud “Beauty of the Ride,” but his mellower turns at the mic, such as “On Fire,” “Ocean,” “Willing to Wait,” “Perfect Way,” and the underrated perfect pop song “Too Pure,” stole the show. Drummer Bob Fay, who left after this 1996 album, contributed “Sforzando!,” and the trio signed off with a cover of The Bags’ “I Smell a Rat.”