Productive indie-pop songwriter Lou Barlow (also of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.) returns with, literally, The New Folk Implosion as a follow-up to the immensely successful One Part Lullaby.

Here, Barlow is without former Folk Imploder John Davis, who left the band shortly after One Part Lullaby's 1999 release. Barlow is still joined with original members Russell Pollard on drums and Imaad Wasif on guitar. Helping out on this new studio recording are Aaron Espinoza, Mickey Petralia and Wally Gagel.

While there is nothing on this album as catchy and full of impact as "Natural One," this new volume of lo-fi alt-pop follows in the same formula. Instead of something simple and catchy for the radio, the shining gem of this album seems to be "Pearl." This bare and stripped-down track is an honest and poignant love song -- personal and unadorned, delivered without samples and little accompaniment to the crisp, acoustic guitar.