SKU: 14077846703

Barlow, Lou - Reason to Live

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Barlow, Lou - Reason to LiveNew Vinyl Record Lou Barlow, Reason to Live On Baby Blue color vinyl. After decades on the road and the never ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it's clear life isn't just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we're chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow's new

New Vinyl Record - Lou Barlow, Reason to Live

On Baby Blue color vinyl. After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it's clear life isn't just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we're chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow's new solo album, Reason to Live, he has come to an understanding of that swirl rather than trying to contain it.

As a long-time indie legend, Barlow has found a life akin to a middle-class musician. In recent years, he's moved from Los Angeles back to Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three kids. And yet rather than settle into a comfortable malaise or yearn for the open road, Barlow's strengthened urgency finds a way to merge the two instincts. Reason to Live is shambolic and grand yet intimate and doting, warmly acoustic and crackling with grit. "I had been struggling for a way to connect both my home life and my recorded life, but this record is the first time I've integrated that," Barlow says. By folding the many facets of his life into one package, Reason to Live radiates with a renewed balance and calm. That comfort in complexity shines through even in the recording process, with select songs having origins in decades past and others written in the early stages of 2020. Barlow wrote lead single "Love Intervene" in 2018, and set out to recreate the layered acoustics while adapting the lyrics to his new present. The resulting propulsive track rides on interlocking strumming patterns, Barlow's voice as crisp as a New England breeze. "Tide after tide, change is the meaning of life/ It turns any wall into sand," he exhales, before yet again calling for love to lead the way through. Album opener "In My Arms" quite literally pulls from Barlow's teen years, utilizing a sample of a recording he made in 1982. The track feels stuffed with burnished layers, Barlow's dueling guitar solos and unique strumming patterns threading through the verses. "Lyrically, the song is about rediscovering the initial spark to make music," he says. "I feel like I was finally able to re-embrace my fundamental inspirations to make music." There are echoes of the four-track wizardry of Sebadoh III and the Sentridoh years, but lyrically Barlow cracks those layers apart to reflect on his newly layered life. Even the gruffer themes on the album come delivered in a bronzy sheen. The chorus to "All You People Suck" burns with sincerity and certainty rather than biting venom, his river of acoustic chords makes the conclusion inevitable. Barlow recorded the track in a hotel bathroom while on tour, and the exhausted frustration breathes easily. "All you people lost/ And the light that draws you in/ Be it torch or burning cross/ Your beginning and your end," he arcs. In addition to his trademark acoustic chording, Reason to Live utilizes the wide variety of sonic touchstones in Barlow's kit. His rise in the indie rock scene may most obviously be tied to his personal experience in hardcore and punk music, but soft rock and disco were swirled into the mix as well. As such, the nostalgic "Maumee" (about the river that runs through Ohio, near where Barlow was raised) thumps along on a soft folksy wave, while "Thirsty" could comfortably be amped into a bloodthirsty metal cut. "I wanted to make personal soft rock songs in a way that makes people feel extremely uncomfortable," Barlow laughs. "I always wanted to bring the raw, personal sensibility of a hardcore song into an acoustic mode." The multitude of whirring messages of Reason to Live are united by Barlow's roiling multilayered arrangements and the understanding that change is inevitable-and that it can bring you a new reason to live in the darkest times. "This album is me really opening up, and the album follows that through it's many different themes," he says. "Some of my other work could be almost claustrophobic in it's insistence on being all tied together but there's space for people to live inside these songs." After albums with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and under his own name, listeners may have felt they knew the construction of a Barlow song, even that they knew Barlow himself. "People have this vision of me as this heartbroken, depressed guy, but this record feels so true to who I am, to this rich life I now have full of people I love," he says. "The songs culminated over the last five years to show that music has returned to it's central comforting role in my life. Now I'm home." - by Lior Phillips, 2021
  • 1 In My Arms
  • 2 Reason to Live
  • 3 Why Can't It Wait
  • 4 Love Intervine
  • 5 Privatize
  • 6 I Don't Like Changes
  • 7 Clouded Age
  • 8 Over You
  • 9 How Do I Know
  • 10 Cold One
  • 11 Thirsty
  • 12 Maumee
  • 13 Lows and Highs
  • 14 Paws
  • 15 Tempted
  • 16 All You People Suck
  • 17 Act of Faith
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    SKU: 14077846703

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    Caylee T.
    Dallas, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    Well holy moly!
    Format: Kindle
    Holy moly that story definitely had me hooked! Kieran was definitely a character that I immediately adored. She has obviously had to deal with a butt load of too high expectations from her father (who is 🤬).. She has been helpless when it came to finding out her affinity with so many years of no answers & perceived failure. When Ronan, gives her a small inkling of hope that she be a Beast Tamer, she jumps into it. But again she doesn’t seem to fit. But when she runs into Gabe again, she ends up helping him & rethinking her life in Alfemir. And when the opportunity comes she decides leaving is the best option. But when Ronan demands he comes with her & then the random appearance of Bastian, she is feeling very overwhelmed. After she chooses to fall with them, they land on earth exactly where Gabe is located only to run into Steele who is a person that I was finding hard to like. After training, she eventually finds out she does have an affinity & it’s one that no longer exist & is incredibly powerful but also has a prophecy attached to it. I feel incredibly bad for her on she learns about the prophecy & Steele’s connection with it too. But that ending, with the battle scene & Niz….yeah definitely was not expecting that but hello I am all here for it too! Absolutely amazing start of a series & I for sure will be waiting for the next one to come out. Amazing job!
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    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    B
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    BobbiJo- SpicyBookswBB
    Carnegie, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    So good!
    Format: Kindle
    Wings of Stars was a fantastic first book to a new series. It grabbed me in its clutches within the first chapter and kept ahold of me. This new world of M Sinclair and RL Caulder’s is all about angels and mythical creatures. It’s full of drama from all points. From Kieran’s awful home life to keeping the stars alive and everything in between. Kieran is our FMC and despite everything she keeps her spirit and defiance. Keeping to their norm, there is a group of guys for our FMC but they definitely aren’t established yet, and not fully cemented yet into being a group rather than her choosing between them. Ronan is so sweet and gives off Daddy vibes Gabe is also sweet and wants the best of everything for Kieran and will defend her against anyone Bastian is slightly unhinged but I loved him immediately Steele is a jerk… just as you find redeeming qualities, he screws up again… but yet I still want him to redeem himself. There’s another one… but if I gave his name I would be spoiling a plot twist so you will just have to find out yourself… but you’ll love him as much as I do. This is a slow burn but the little bit of spice we do get is hot, especially with the dirty talk.
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    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
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    Gabby C.
    Whiting, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    Angels and the Fallen — Breathtaking Start
    Format: Kindle
    This book was EVERYTHING I expected it to be and more. Leave to R.L. Caulder and M. Sinclair to give us yet another amazing book! Kieran and her guys hooked me from the very beginning and did not let go. Found family is one of my favorite tropes and it was done so well in this book. Couple that along with an FMC trying to find her place in the world and I was practically drooling over this book. The world building, the conflict, the wyverin sidekick — it all was done so well that it felt fresh and real. Each love interest felt real and unique in their own ways. I felt connected to each one and like they were truly different people. I love that so much in a book and these two authors never miss with their love interests. Multi POV, Reverse harem, who did this to you, and a magical world highlighting the angels and the fallen. This book has everything and it does it so well. Big thank you to R.L. Caulder and M. Sinclair for the arc copy! I cannot wait for book 2!
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    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
    C
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    Chrystal
    Lowell, US
    ★★★★★ 4
    A new take 🤔
    Format: Kindle
    I’m not going to go into what this book is about — by now you e already read the synopsis and have an idea — but I will give a couple of insights. Definitely a different take on angels and their fall; I like it. This is an interesting start to a new series - YES, this does end on a cliffhanger so be prepared for that. I’m eager for the next book (and hopefully the last in this series — sometimes the author(s) will switch it up depending on how the story flows for them) in this series. I’m hoping that a certain male character redeems himself because he’s a dick that will make the meaning of mixed signals jealous lol. You ever watch that old movie — I think it’s call Mommy Dearest? — yea, let’s switch that up to daddy. That man would make a perfect husband to mommy dearest. I recommend this book because while these authors are well known for their cliffhangers, they are also well known for putting out good stories.
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    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
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    M Weidner
    Lake Worth, US
    ★★★★★ 3
    Liked it
    Format: Kindle
    I liked the worlds and the characters. The prophesy is confusing in that I would think, since all worlds ore on a path to destruction, the angels would want their world to be saved. I am sure there is more evil that will be revealed as the series proceeds. I dislike a prolonged “poor little me” trope and the main character has moved past that, thankfully, and began to show a fierce attitude as the novel progressed. The last portion of the novel had some great action. It’s worth reading, just be patient with a slow start.
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    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024

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