Solo albums are always a good measure of an artist’s heart. For Lou Barlow, we always kind of knew he was the softer side of Dinosaur Jr. and the driving engine of Sebadoh’s melodic side. EMOH is a perfect culmination of those two directions. Mostly acoustic and emotional, I dare say the album is actually tender. Well, as tender as a guy with an edge can create. It’s an album filled with terrific pop ditties that still have that bittersweet Lou Barlow sound. It’s one of those good albums to help the lame music lover in your life make inroads into the indie world.