Sebadoh - Sebadoh III
[Domino]

Reissues are always a dubious affair. They see accusations of re-hashing, money making and taking advantage of over-eager fans desperate for slight variations and unspectacular bonus tracks.

However, there are occasions when reissues are necessary and, in this case, long overdue. After being discontinued, slipping into obscurity and demanding extortionate prices over the Internet, the re-release of “Sebadoh III” is actually doing people favours.

Cited as a “transitory album from a band ever in transition”, ‘Sebadoh III’ epitomises the Seattle three-piece’s constantly shifting sound. It also provides inspiring experimentation but also an answer to their limited success outside the American grunge scene.

“Sebadoh III” is a difficult album to receive, and this is its unique point. No sooner is a mood captured than the following track veers in a completely different and often confusing direction. There is little clarity; the sound is often obscure and dark taking turns just as you think you’ve got it pinned.

Opening track, the Barlow-penned “The Freed Pig” is one of the more accessible and relatable offerings while “Gimme Indie Rock” provides an insight into his gift for fun in the shape of satire. However, no sooner is this feeling established than it is shattered with the beautifully confused ballad “Kath”, setting a tone of gentility and emotion.

Eric Gaffney's offerings contain more sting, with "As The World Dies, The Eyes of God Grow Bigger" and "Violet Execution" being the finest examples of his blunt and often disturbing subject matter.

The cover of the Minutemen’s “Sickles And Hammers” fits nicely into the erratic Sebadoh mould and Johnny Mathis’ ”Wonderful, Wonderful” sees Lou Barlow’s vocals bend in unexpected directions.

It is easy to see how Nirvana are indebted to and were inspired by Sebadoh. This defining album holds the hallmarks of the grunge movement and takes unpredictable paths down which Sebadoh’s peers- such as Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, The Vaseline’s and The Lemonheads, never ventured.

Temperamental teenagers, hardcore fans and the gloriously open minded will revel in this album, though with a closer look there’s enough twists and experiments to attract a plethora of tastes and interests.