The surprise success of
"Natural One" affected
the Folk Implosion in a surprising way. Instead of running from success and shunning melody,
Lou Barlow and
John Davis decided to embrace
pop on their own terms. That means
the Folk Implosion remains an
indie rock band, recording on cheap equipment, and layering brittle guitars for the basic tracks, but the guys write impossibly catchy hooks, such as the amazing single
"Pole Position." At its best,
Dare to Be Surprised is spare, tuneful, and infectious, and at its worst, it's merely underwritten. Nevertheless,
Barlow has rarely been as succinct and consistent as he is here, and
Davis' songs are uniformly strong as well, making
Dare to Be Surprised one of the finest items in their respective catalogs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
