Pitchfork

Sebadoh is back! And it's not the lame late-90s version either.

Lou Barlow, who has been touring with a reconstituted Dinosaur Jr. for over a year (and they have some news of their own, but more on that later), announced on his website recently that his other influential group has reformed in its classic lineup: Barlow, Eric Gaffney, and Jason Loewenstein.

Barlow writes, "Sebadoh Classic will be touring this spring 2/25/07 → 4/07. Sebadoh Classic = Gaffney-era... III → Bubble and Scrape. Eric, Jason, and I will be heading out together..." That's about all Barlow lets on, but those dates are just specific enough for us to buy it. However, he immediately goes on to say, "then the new Dinosaur album will be out... and then... and then... we'll see..."

That's right, there will also be a new Dinosaur Jr. album. It's "almost done", and the band are planning to release it in "Spring '07," though a label and specific release date have yet to be decided. According to a recent report from Billboard.com, the record is awaiting a title, and guitarist J. Mascis, whose Amherst, Massachusetts home studio served as the base of recording, is finishing guitar and vocal parts at the moment.

In a Billboard.com interview, Barlow described the new songs as "simpler", but also said, "Dinosaur is something where the sound just propels us. It's an energy source unto itself. The minute we started playing together, it was like, 'Oh, there it is.'"

Potential song titles include "By the Fire", "This Is All I Came to Do", "Back to Your Heart", and "Stop". Barlow mentions on his website that he wrote two tunes for the record. Dinosaur Jr. plan to tour again after the release of the new album.

Then there is the Dinosaur Jr. DVD, which Billboard.com reports will come out May 8. It was directed by Mascis' brother-in-law, Phillip Virus (rock name alert!), and documents the first half of the band's reunion tour through footage from live shows that took place in New York and Boston, among other places.

About the DVD, Barlow said, "I haven't seen it, but I'm kind of terrified because I hate live DVDs. Looking at us playing these old songs, that runs a distant second to seeing us when we were really young and fucked up and struggling. Some really shaky, old video-- I'd rather see that. Seeing us older and more confident and paunchier... I mean, we play the songs well, but so what?"

Dinosaur Jr.'s only currently scheduled show is at the Thurston Moore-curated Nightmare Before Christmas edition of All Tomorrow's Parties in Glastonbury, England. Barlow has one solo show scheduled at Los Angeles' Spaceland on October 22, opening for You Am I.