Today, Dinosaur Jr. announce a 15th anniversary expanded reissue of their seminal second post-reunion album, Farm, originally released in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. The limited lime-coloured vinyl reissue is released Aug 16th via the band’s long-term home of Jagjaguwar. Pre-orders are open now, here: https://dinosaur-jr.lnk.to/Farm-15th-Anniversary
This expanded deluxe edition of Farm features four songs never pressed to vinyl and never given worldwide release: ‘Houses‘, ‘Whenever You’re Ready‘ (The Zombies Cover), ‘Creepies‘ (Instrumental), and ‘Show‘. ‘Whenever You’re Ready’, a cover of classic pop-rockers The Zombies, is impossibly good for a hidden gem; Murph stomps in with a sledgehammer to the kit, J and Lou layer low-end and fuzz like two halves of one brain, and right when things feel biggest, airy and colossal, there’s J with a lightning bolt of a guitar solo. Pure electricity and melody like only he can make.
When Dinosaur Jr. reunited, more than 20 years after their formation and legendary dissolution, the worry was that these guys were just flogging the back catalog, taking the old show on the road as a marketing gimmick. But the 2007 release of Beyond gave a hearty Marshall-driven “F**K YOU!” answer to those inquiring ears. Restoring the sound established by the unassailable hat-trick gambit of their first three albums – Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me, and Bug – Beyond continued the band’s march into rock greatness by making old ears smile and new ears bleed afresh.
And then came Farm, the 9th full length record by the original line-up: J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph. If Beyond was Dinosaur Jr.’s return to form, Farm is proof that Dinosaur Jr. could (and still do, to this day!) deliver timeless, exhilarating rock music. Farm encompasses Dinosaur Jr.’s signature palette: soaring and distorted guitar, unshakable hooks, honey-rich melodies. At times wholly 70’s guitar-epic, at times perfect for sitting by a babbling brook with Joni and Neil, these songs get into your head and stay there, bouncing happily around. The ear-catching ‘Plans‘ is nearly seven minutes of classic whipped-topping rock dessert, while ‘I Don’t Wanna Go There‘ is a meat-and-potatoes main dish, mixing unapologetic lead guitar with straight-ahead delivery a la James Gang or Humble Pie.
Recorded in J Mascis’ Bisquiteen studio in Amherst, Massachusetts, Farm was produced by Mascis himself, and delivers the singular, unique energy of one of America’s greatest living rock bands.
dRecorded in Paris ‘The Black Sessions’ is nine Dinosaur Jr classics performed at arguably the band’s 90s peak as a live outfit. Recorded at Maison De La Radio in Paris on March 2nd 93 this is pressed on coloured vinyl and this is the first record release. Produced in conjunction with the band and INA, France. A companion piece to 2022’s best-selling ‘Seventytwohundredseconds’ MTV EP. The record kicks off in style with an epic ‘Quest’ From the fuzzed up laid back Bass intro this is a pretty epic take on what should be a slacker anthem with a mind-blowing delivery thats as heavy as an anvil but velvet to touch courtesy of Mascis and co who it has to be said is on killer form throughout these sessions. ‘The version of ‘Just Like Heaven’ is rampant again driven in part by the huge thump of the overdriven Bass but the guitar playing is amazing. ‘Freak Scene’ has always been one of my favourite Dinosaur Jr songs and here it’s wild and barely in control but sounds vibrant the solo is insane. Where You Beens ‘Get Me’ is a particular highlight but closing off this recording with tracks from ‘Budge’ from the ‘Bug’ EP and closing with ‘Thumb’ off ‘Green Mind’ and none of the singles like ‘The Wagon’ or ‘Start Choppin’ in sight would love to know if they played more but what we do have from this session is a band absolutely flying and its worth it for the solo on ‘Thumb’ it’s like Mascis is trying to tame a rampant bull thats on steroids. Whipping the living shite out of his guitar its truly a thing of beauty. Obviously, if you’re a fan this is a no brainer and to go alongside what’s already been released this year as a solo offering it’s a reminder that Mascis’s day job as the voice and guitarist in Dinosaur Jr was and still is compelling and a magnificent thing and back in their heyday they were a magnificent beast
ANNOUNCE WHERE YOU BEEN 30th ANNIVERSARY SHOWS IN LONDON & BROOKLYN
FOUR SHOWS IN LONDON ON NOV 12th-15th @ THE GARAGE
SEVEN SHOWS IN BROOKLYN ON DEC 1st-3rd & 5th-8th @ MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
Today, Dinosaur Jr. announce four shows at London’s Garage and seven shows at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their sixth studio album, Where You Been. Dinosaur Jr.’s second album to be made with a major label was originally released in 1993 at the height of the grunge moment in rock, and its temporal trajectory hit #50 on the Billboard charts.
In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.’s quintessential album, it has become clear that their sound – once hailed as a sort of almost-tamed noise – is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a sort. The subsequent generations of bands who grew up breathing Dino’s fumes managed to tinker around with the edges of their original post-hardcore song forms enough for listeners to realise there had always been melodies at the center of everything they did. What Dinosaur Jr. produce is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock continuum – riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the infinite future.
In 2023, now 30 years since release, the original trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph firmly reunited will perform this iconic album in its entirety over a 4-night span in London in November and a 7-night span in Brooklyn, NY in December. The band will invite a spattering of guests and friends to sit in each night to celebrate this music along with a set comprising the trio’s thunderous catalog each night. Tickets will be available via pre-sale tomorrow, and general on-sale will be this Thursday, May 25th.
Jun 3rd | McGill, NV – Shellraiser Festival * Jul 6th | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest * Jul 21st | Washington, DC – The Anthem ^ Jul 22nd | Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE ^ Jul 23rd | Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall ^ Jul 25th | Toronto, ON – Rebel ^ Jul 27th | Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheatre ^ Jul 28th | Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre ^ Jul 29th | Chicago, IL – Radius ^ Jul 30th | Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room ^ Jul 31st | Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ^ Aug 2nd | Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre ^ Aug 3rd | Cedar Rapids, IA – McGrath Amphitheatre ^ Aug 4th | Wichita, KS – Wave ^ Aug 5th | Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium ^ Aug 27th | Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend * Sep 9th | Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival * Sep 16th | Wyndham, NY – Cave Mountain Catskills Music Festival * Sep 30th | Memphis, TN – Memphis Music Festival * Nov 12th | London, UK – The Garage Nov 13th | London, UK – The Garage Nov 14th | London, UK – The Garage Nov 15th | London, UK – The Garage Dec 1st | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 2nd | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 3rd | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 5th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 6th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 7th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 8th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Undisputed kings of the clamshell box set Cherry Red have put together the ultimate CD clam shell box of Dinosaur Jr from 1990-97 or the hits years when they were signed to Sire. On the four CDs, you get all four albums plus a plethora of B-sides and more. Albums, Singles, and rarities are pretty much the Jewson lot.
The booklet has a heap of awesome artwork to accompany the releases as well as extensive sleevenotes from Mojo Magazines Keith Cameron based on his interviews with J Mascis.
Born in the mid-80s post-punk and pre-Grungers Dinosaur Jr was the brainchild of Mascis and his unique guitar style. To be fair the run of sire records are an amazing body of work and a commercial success to boot. ‘Green Mind’ with its cool cover was intriguing at the time (pre-internet) but as soon as the needle dropped it was a sonic scalping. Songs like ‘The Wagon’ and ‘Whatevers Cool With Me’ were and still are fantastic songs.
To follow it up a year later with ‘Where You Been’ with its lead track ‘Start Choppin’ was nothing short of brilliant and deserved its commercial success proving that ‘Green Mind’ wasn’t a one-off or flash in the pan. The beauty here is pulling in all the bonus material onto one disc with its corresponding album with ‘Missing Link’ ending disc two which was the pick of the soundtrack ‘Judgement Night’ which pulled together some amazing collaborations.
Continuing the upward trajectory ‘Without A Sound’ and ‘Hand It Over’ wrapped up a real golden period for the band. They might not have reached the dizzy heights of the first two in the set but I’ve always loved ‘Feel The Pain’ and it still sounds amazing all these years later but again its the bonus tracks that are the main draw here Instrumentals, Acoustic live tracks all filling out this set.
With almost 80 tracks this is a superb box set that’s a fantastic in for new fans or people too young first time around and a great accompaniment for the vinyl reissues that broke the band when they came out a few years ago.
Dinosaur Jr. are “still making excellent records for new listeners and older ones who made the band part of their lives” (Wall Street Journal). Today, they release Emptiness at the Sinclair, an album that captures the essence of why the band has been such a staple in live music for decades. Recorded live at The Sinclair in Boston, Dinosaur Jr. play many tracks drawn from Sweep It Into Space, released earlier this year on Jagjaguwar, plus classics like ‘Just Like Heaven‘, ‘Start Choppin‘ and ‘Freak Scene‘.
Lou Barlow elaborates: “It was odd going back to Harvard Square for the Sinclair show, lots of closed shops, less car and foot traffic, my first time back in a big-city since it all went down. I had lived in Boston for about 10 years from the late 80’s-90’s and the bustling square was a common destination to look for records and meet with friends. The empty pandemic feel spooked me.
“Playing for a livestream is like pushing a rock up a hill trying to recreate the vibe of a real show. The isolation of the last year had made me nervous about performing again, especially in the context of Dinosaur Jr. where I typically rely on the energy of our crowd. Playing to an invisible audience and a real-time sparsely populated room of people doing their jobs (running lights, sound and staring at screens) was something different and, again, weird.
“Despite all my lockdown doubts once we started playing things clicked. My mind didn’t highjack me and it quickly began to feel like a real show. Having a few decent gigs on the Sinclair stage before, it began to feel familiar and, for lack of a better word, friendly. It will be much more of a relief to get back on tour but, this Sinclair show was a good band-aid, so to speak.“
Dinosaur Jr.’s European tour begins in Dublin on March 27th at Vicar Street and run through April 13th where it culminates at Berlin‘s Columbiahalle before a return in June for dates at Barcelona and Porto‘s Primavera Sound festivals respectively. Tickets are on sale now.
UK/EU Tour Dates:
Mar 27th | Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street Mar 28th | Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester Mar 30th | Hull, UK @ Asylum Mar 31st | Glasgow, UK @ QMU Apr 2nd | London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton Apr 3rd | Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg Apr 5th | Antwerp, BE @ Trix Apr 6th | Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle Hamburg Apr 7th | Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria Apr 9th | Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks Apr 10th | Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Apr 12th | Munich, DE @ Muffathalle Apr 13th | Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle June 2nd | Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound June 11th | Porto, PT @ NOS Primavera Sound Festival
Rock icons Danko Jones announce two livestream performances in celebration of the release of their 10th studio album Power Trio, out August 27th via MATE in Germany. The livestreams are set for Saturday, August 28th at 8:00PM ET / 5:00PM PT and at 8:00PM CET and will be streamed live from Bridgeworks in Hamilton, Ontario.
To add to the excitement, the band will also be doing a Q&A for viewers after the performances. Tickets & info can be found HERE
Along with the livestream show announcements, the band has also released a new song today, “Start The Show”. Stream it HERE! And watch the lyric video HERE!
Ironically the last song on ‘Power Trio’, it is essentially Danko Jones’ answer to Cheap Trick’s “Hello There” – i.e., a song tailor-made to be the first song played at a Danko Jones show. It’s a reaffirmation of everything he was put on this earth to do. But in the wake of this pandemic-plagued year, the song also makes for a surprisingly poignant album closer, because it’s a reminder of all the shows that Danko didn’t get to play this past year, and a reminder of how much we’ve all missed that goosebump-inducing feeling of being in a packed club when the house lights go down, the music playing over the PA cuts out, and your favourite power trio emerges from the darkness to kick into their opening tune. And yet despite this bittersweet subtext, “Start the Show” is brimming with the promise that we will experience that feeling once again—and, after the black cloud of COVID clears, Danko Jones will be there ready to give it to you.
“Start The Show” follows previously released singles “Saturday” and “I Want Out“. Hitting #1 at German Rock Radio and Top 15 at Canadian Rock Radio, “I Want Out” has seen success with airplay around the globe. In April the band also released a fan-only track “Flaunt It”. Album pre-orders are available HERE!
Power Trio sees Danko Jones delivering each engine-revving riff, soul-shaking stomp, and shout-it-loud hook with a sniper’s precision. It’s such a simple, self-evident title, but one loaded with significance, as it speaks to the special triangular alchemy Danko shares with his trusty bass-slinging accomplice JC and drummer Rich Knox. It also stakes out the band’s place on a storied lineage of three-piece titans Jimi Hendrix Experience, ZZ Top, Rush, Motörhead, Venom, Dinosaur Jr., and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, to name a few.
The album follows the band’s electrifying, world charting album, ‘A Rock Supreme’ released in 2019. It also sees the band once again tapping into the production prowess of Eric Ratz, who previously amped up the bone-breaking boogie of 2017’s full-throttle rocker ‘Wild Cat’ and 2015’s bloodlusty Fire Music. Band Photo By Dustin Rabin
Here we have album number 12 from the alternative rock stalwarts and the fifth since reuniting the much welcomed classic lineup of J Mascis, Murph and Lou Barlow. And for this reviewer their strongest release in this new era of the original band.
Although there are radio-friendly songs present, such as lead single ‘I Ran Away’. It’s the first two tracks on the record ‘I Ain’t’ and ‘I Met The Stones’ that give the listener a well-painted picture of the group as the loud rock entity they are in the flesh. Nicely finished off with third track ‘to be waiting’ which is quite surprising that this has not been utilised as a single considering it’s a Dinosaur Jr classic waiting in the wings. I imagine this will be on their setlists for years to come, up there with ‘start choppin’ and ‘freak scene’.
Midway through we get a number penned and sung by guitarist Lou Barlow, ‘Garden’. A very well-written track with a bit of an anthemic, radio-friendly, College Rock vibe, but unfortunately sounds a little out of place on this record. Certainly not as savage and pummelling as his Sebadoh output which I have always been a big fan of. In the end Barlow makes up for this on his second stab with the final song on the album ‘You Wonder’, with an overall more complex and interesting sound.
We get back on track with ‘Hide Another Round’ which is a bit, J Mascis, by numbers but still showcases the band and leads on nicely to ‘and me’ which is very reminiscent of J’s recent solo work Elastic Days. Even more so with ‘take it back’ where the overall makeup is almost like the band taking on classic Elton John but muddied up with their own beloved elements added to the end result.
On the whole, the album is a strong effort with a lot of familiar bits to please the die-hards and the deviations are more successful than not, complementing rather than challenging their classic sound. 35 years in with more than a few bumps in the road, seeing trends come and go and contemporaries fall by the wayside. The band is still here, sounding confident, competent and thankfully not tired and going through the motions.
Most reunions for rock fans have an all too recognisable sight of gritted teeth with a need to top up the bank balance rather than a genuine desire to play. Dinosaur Jr are still out there most years, playing mid-sized venues looking like they’re having a blast. Here is hoping this will be the case for many years to come.
*This May, Dinosaur Jr. will play two socially distanced shows in the Northwest. Following, they’ll host their beloved Camp Fuzz and then kick off a North American tour later this year. Tickets for all dates are on sale here. Additionally, to celebrate the release of the album, Dinosaur Jr. will play a livestream performance from the Sinclair in Boston, MA on May 1st at 9pm EST. Tickets are available here, with upgrade options for exclusive merchandise and VIP Soundcheck Experience.*
OK, so April is well underway and we pay a visit to the singles club as we’ve ad a few belters that need to be spun. Its like London busses, when you wait for ages a whole bunch turn up at once well. The Singles Club is like that.
Chubby & The Gang – ‘Lightning Don’t Strike Twice’ (Partisan Records) London punks Chubby & The Gang are back with a no-holds-barred thunder in a bottle of pub Rockin blues based punk rock. Picture a bit of slide for a prelude before a quick drum roll that’s like a fumble around the back of the disco before the two litres of bow kicks in and its onto the dance floor with your mates because the DJ is playing Sham 69. Chubbys not fucking about with his gang as they knock out an infectious couple of minutes of noise that just burrows down inside your ear and stays put. Can’t wait for the new album? This will have to do…for now. Chubby ain’t going to lose on this evidence he’s a winner and I don’t think he should ever have doubted it. We’ll run the news with the video later in the week along with links for where you can get your grubby mitts on this bad boy!
The Lancasters – ‘Scallywag’ (Fuzzy Cracklins Presents (CA)) Italian rock and rollers release a new video for the single ‘Scallywag’. ‘Scallywag’ talks about the lies that people accept as words of truth, superstitions and other inaccuracies perpetuated by the media, the internet, and other scallywags. From the video, you can hear the band have an ear for the likes of The Kinks and a bit of Dave Edmunds and even some McCartney going on here. With a decent tune the band aren’t to be confused with the Oi! band of the same name. This is a good time slice of rock and roll – enjoy it! Grab it here
Dinosaur Jr. ‘Garden’ (Jagjaruwar) A second taster of the wizardly trio’s new album, ‘Sweep It Into Space’ (co-produced by the band and the inimitable Kurt Vile), ahead of it landing in a few weeks’ time. This time out it’s ‘Garden’ getting an airing, which ranks among the finest Lou contributions to a Dinosaur Jr. record, a soaring, breezy ballad with soft guitar filigree that builds into a wholesome song that never gets out of hand and remains a heartfelt charming song and another great reason to preorder the album. Lou sings on two of the songs off the new album with ‘Garden’ being one of his strongest offerings to date. check out the video here. Excited much?
Ravagers – ‘Down The Road’ (Spaghetty Town Records) Another new track from the much anticipated long player (due September) from Baltimore’s finest. Ravagers wisely used their downtime to decamp to record in Atlanta with Tuk Smith and Dan Dixon where they used their collective skills to hone the Ravagers into the lean fighting machine that we hear today on this single.
The song has a polished edge that wasn’t present on previous offerings and maybe that’s what they needed making them more assessable to the masses. This has a great hook on the chorus and is short but oh so sweet more aggressive than ‘Nasty Night’ but its the second slice of Rock and Roll and a sidestep from the previous release which makes a mouth-watering proposition for the new album. Its littered with rock and roll diamonds glistening with every lick and pounding drum beat. Get an earful of this and get September in yer diary as Ravagers new album month.
Atomic Eater / Kool & The Gang Bangers – ‘Split’ (Helvetes Kitchen/No Front Teeth) It was a no brainer that this slice of Scandi Punk would come out on NFT its the perfect fit, to be fair it’s lo-fi not no-fi with some added drum machine action to accompany the swirling synths. They have a sound that’s a perfect fit for NFT Records and behind that scratching guitar that’s driving this hypnotic tune from start to finish is a really good song. As for Kool & The Gang Bangers, it’s again a lo-fi extravaganza of abrasive guitars and crash band wallop then they were gone. You know where to go for this split if not then head over to Bandcamp. It’s short but oh so sweet!
DeeCRACKS – ‘Lost In The Middle’ (Pirates Press) A most excellent song from Europes finest. Its not as rapid as I was expecting and slowing down the attack has ‘Lost In The Middle’ coming across as more Rocket From the Crypt rather than The Ramones and its a really good tune for it. Pick up the album here
Venomous Pinks – ‘Based On A True Story’ (Self Released) Tracks taken from the bands Bridge City Sessions. Arizona punk rockin trio sound fantastic like the Ramones meets L7 with a whole bunch of attitude that seems like it’s well suited to the live session arena and seeing as they have a liking for TSOL in their press kit it was a no brainer for me.
Head over to iTunesHere or SpotifyHere and save this cracker. The lead track is indeed a take on the Joan Jett track but they amp it right up and give the original a damn good run for its money.
The Automatics – ‘Shine Everlasting’ It’s an uplifting track taken from the album’ A Grand Swandive Into The Void’ The band host an impressive back catalogue of old school punk n roll with catchy powerpop hooks and ‘Shine Everlasting’ is a great example of what they can deliver. check out the video and their impressive back-catalogue over on www.theautomatics.co.uk. they’ve been around for several decades and some and were regulars back in the day at venues like The Marquee Club when it was on Wardour street
HUMAN FAILURE – ‘Barbed Wire State’ (Riot Records) Of course they’re punk as fuck – with a name like human Failure and singing about barbed wire states it’s like 82 never happened. But from the bass rumble and caustic riff its howling feedback and raw vocals is always a winner.
The bands upcoming ‘Urchin EP’ begins with a flat-out hardcore that’s done in the blink of an eye or 30 seconds, starting the EP with a bang and giving a taste of what’s to come. It then opens up to more melodic and metal flavours and ends with driving hardcore punk. Check out these Australian noise bringers Here
Jesse Malin – ‘The Way We Used To Roll’ (Wicked Cool Records) Saving the best till last here’s the new one from the inimitable Jesse Malin Available now on Wicked Cool Records Here
A laid back mid-period Stones like number sees Malin not waiting on a friend but forging ahead on his own. Some great interplay going on here with a fantastic arrangement bring on a new album we need it! ‘Time Runner’ is another with that Jesse Malin swagger going on upbeat and thoroughly enjoyable over and over again.
ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, SWEEP IT INTO SPACE,
OUT APR 23rd ON JAGJAGUWAR
Dinosaur Jr. return with Sweep It Into Space, their new album out April 23rd on Jagjaguwar, and a new single, ‘I Ran Away‘. ‘Sweep It Into Space’ is their first new collection of music since 2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not, continuing what is perhaps the greatest “second act” of any band ever. Originally scheduled for mid-2020, this record’s temporal trajectory was thwarted by the coming of the Plague. But it would take more than a mere Plague to tamp down the exquisite fury of this trio when they are fully dialed-in. And Sweep It Into Space is a masterpiece of zoned dialing.
In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.’s original triptych of foundational albums, it has become clear that their sound, once hailed as a sort of almost-tamed noise, is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a sort. There had always been melodies at the centre of everything they did. What Dinosaur Jr. produce is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock continuum – riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the infinite future.
Recorded, as usual, at Amherst’s Bisquiteen, the sessions for Sweep It Into Space began in the late autumn of 2019, following a West Coast/South East tour. The only extra musician used this time was Kurt Vile, who co-produced the album and played the lead 12 string on the upbeat ‘I Ran Away’. J Mascis’s voice is immediately catchy over soaring, electrifying guitar lines.
Pre-orders:
Pre-order ‘Sweep It Into Space’, physically or digitally: Here
After recording with Kurt got disrupted, J Mascis “ended up just mimicking a few things he’d done. I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some of that duelling twin lead sound. But the recording session was pretty well finished by the time things really hit the fan. When the lockdown happened in March, that meant I was on my own. But it was cool.”
As is typical, Lou Barlow writes and sings two of the album’s dozen tunes (delivering perhaps his finest Dinosaur contribution in ‘Garden‘) and Murph‘s pure-Flinstonian drumming drives the record like a go cart from Hell. Lou’s songs here are as elegant as always. J’s tracks flow and flower in the different directions he often follows. Some are guitar howlers, with a string sound midway between Hendrix and Asheton. Some are power ballads, and there are anomalies, like ‘Take It Back‘, which starts with a blue-beat rhythm putting one in mind of Keith Richards’ Jamaican explorations (at least for a little bit.)
But there are very few moments where you wouldn’t know you were hearing Dinosaur Jr. in blindfolded needle drop. They have a signature sound as sure as the Stooges or Sonic Youth or Discharge ever did. They continue to expand their personal universe with Sweep It Into Space, without ever losing their central core.
Nothing more heartening than on a cold dark Saturday night during a lockdown I sit down and begin typing my review of this rather sparse yet majestic J Mascis box set being released by Cherry Red Records. In fairness over the last few months, it seems a lot of bands are holding back on new material seeing as they aren’t able to trawl the towns and cities of the world promoting their new wares so its ripe pickings recently for the box set after box set of unreleased material or previously released material and hard to find stuff getting a new lick of paint and packaging and being re-released.
Now some companies just knock out reissues on heavyweight vinyl for the audiophiles out there and then there are some labels who actually excel in this field and release some rather nice box sets full of material both previously and not previously released and right at the top of that list has to be Cherry Red. To be fair they also have knocked out some really decent sets this year coving several genres.
Dinosaur Jr had their classic albums re-packaged a while ago with a plethora of bonus material that added up to some pretty impressive reissues and now it seems the turn of the creator in general J Mascis to release some of his live recordings. Starting with 3 CDs of solo acoustic musings. 93s live at the iconic CBGBs. Martin & Me’ that came out in 95. Then finally a live in Copenhagen recorded in 98.
CBGBs is where Mascis tugs on the heartstrings with a spine-tingling set of acoustic renditions of classic Dinosaur JR tunes with the likes of ‘Thumb’, ‘Keeblin’ and covers of ‘On The Run’ as he strums and picks his way through the set even remembering to talk in between songs it’s a glorious mishmash of songs stripped bare.
‘Martin & Me’ is a much clearer set with some of the same songs but a longer set that includes some rather interesting covers like who knew he’d cover ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ but its the emotional renditions of songs like ‘Goin Home’ that steals the show and makes the hair on my arms stand up as I type and listen. Ending the set this time with ‘Grab It’.
The third disc is of varying quality and probably my favourite of the three with awesome renditions of ‘Sure Not Over You’, ‘Little Fury Things’, ‘Drawerings’ and ‘Keep The Glove’. Fans will be all over this (sorry) and if you want to hear rough acoustic alternative rock at its finest drawing from the likes of Neil Young and churning out stripped back picking styles from a genuine guitar hero and songwriter.
Don’t think about it go pick up a copy and like I say if you’re already sold on his solo work or Dinosaur Jr then this is a no brainer.
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