Sebadoh gears up for Pitchfork, reissue

By Alex Young on June 10th, 2008

Lo-fi pioneers Sebadoh, whose original lineup of Lou Barlow, Eric Gaffney, Jason Loewenstein reunited in 2007 for the first time in 14 years, are gearing up for what appears to be a busy summer. The Massachusetts based band will reissue a deluxe edition of Bubble and Scrape, their much acclaimed 1993 studio album, on July 8 via Sub Pop/Domino. Included on the release will be all 17 tracks of the band’s fourth studio album completely remastered, along with a number of bonus tracks.

Taken as a whole, Bubble & Scrape was a refinement of the ideas and approaches that had made the earlier Sebadoh releases so beguiling. Some of the rougher edges were smoothed out, confidence and craft replacing the more frenetic sketches of the past. The effect was that of a lens being pulled into focus, with just enough raw edge and soft haze to leave these songs with the frayed and homely charm that had been Sebadoh’s trademark since Eric and Lou first fired up their four-tracks. The scattered debris that made the Sebadoh world so personal, so unique, was still present, but it no longer obscured their songwriting, the tension and the moodswings contained therein possessing an electric charge.

As they’ve done in the past, the band will celebrate the release with a performance of the album in it’s entirety at the upcoming Pitchfork Music Festival.

Bubble and Scrape (Deluxe Edition) Tracklist:
1. Soul and Fire
2. Two Years, Two Days
3. Telecosmic Alchemy
4. Fantastic Disaster
5. Happily Divided
6. Sister
7. Cliche
8. Sacred Attention
9. Elixir is Zog
10. Emme Get Wild
11. Sixteen
12. Homemade
13. Forced Love
14. No Way Out
15. Bouquet For a Siren
16. Think (Let Tomorrow Be)
17. Flood
Bonus Tracks:
18. Reject
19. Sister
20. Bouquet For a Siren
21. Emma Get Wild
22. Flood / Ken
23. Messin’ Around
24. Visibly Wasted II
25. You Are Going Down
26. Old Daze
27. Part 1 - Lou
28. Part 2 - Eric
29. Part 3 - Eric
30. Part 4 - Jason
31. Happily Divided
32. Soul and Fire (Acoustic Demo)