Sebadoh's two songwriters, the tragically inclined Lou Barlow and the testy Jason Lowenstein, have often been at musical odds. Their albums, several of which are indie-rock classics, are sometimes

Sebadoh

Sebadoh's two songwriters, the tragically inclined Lou Barlow and the testy Jason Lowenstein, have often been at musical odds. Their albums, several of which are indie-rock classics, are sometimes out of balance because of this dueling dynamic of lovesickness and aggression. With The Sebadoh the band finally evens out this discrepancy and strikes a more unified mood. "Color Blind" is an atypically introspective look at race relations. "Flame" faces life changes with a catchy, metronomic chorus, and the rolling dissonance of "Decide" confronts a loss of trust with kickin' rock muscle. Fans of Barlow's hangdog yearnings may have a new standard in the moving "Love Is Stronger," a song that elegantly states the primacy of love. The Sebadoh, you might say, is like Prozac. It has ironed out the bipolar characteristics of a band and left us with a strange but welcome elation. --Lois Maffeo

Sebadoh