The Folk Implosion: Walk Thru Me (Joyful Noise)

Creators of one of the Nineties greatest singles The Folk Implosion’s superlative lo-fi / hip-hip mash up Natural One, saw the US alt. rock outfit go overground and break into the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Featured in notorious Harmony Korrine scripted flick Kids, with the band providing much of the soundtrack , the duo proved the OST was no fluke, issuing classic LP One Part Lullaby in 1999 which included genius 45 Free to Go.

With the Music For Kids OST finally appearing on streaming services last years after tangled rights issues, the time for the duo comprising of indie rock linchpin Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, solo) and multi-instrumentalist John Davis to reassmble is ideal. Their first album since 2003, Walk Thru Me stakes out much of the same terrain as One Part Lullaby: tightly constructed songcraft, simple but indelible guitar figures and subtle, memorable hooks.

Produced by US alt. rock stalwart Scott Solter the disc features live drums alongside the duo’s programmed beats. The biggest change however is Davis also stepping up to the microphone, where Barlow had previously handled one hundred percent of the vocals as Davis’s decidedly Dylanesque voice takes centre stage on the poignant The Day You Died and the breezy Bobblehead Doll. My Little Lamb showcases the outfit’s melodic wherewithal in superb fashion as does the darker hued Crepuscular, "The more that you hold me / The more I’ll behave / Soon I won’t need this fuckin’ cave".

Harking back to Barlow’s time served in the 1980s US underground, the Fable and the Fact combines scabrous garage rock guitar lines with off-kilter drum patterns. The descending guitar line of anti-tech treatise O.K. to Disconnect nods to the febrile riff of Joy Division’s Shadowplay, with Right Hand Over the Heart doffing its cap to The Cars with its New Wave-y keyboard textures. Moonlit Kind by contrast is a sweet stargazing missive.

Ample proof the duo pulling their boots back on was well worth it, Walk Thru Me makes for a sparkling return. 4/5