Jagjaguar
Indie rock history has borne witness to some messy breakups but few have had the acrimony of the split between J. Mascis and Lou Barlow in the early days of Dinosaur Jr. Smart money said that these two would never be in the same room together again let alone a recording studio. Then in 2007 the original lineup reunited for a new album and a tour. At a time when other indie-rock dinosaurs like The Pixies Camper Van Beethoven and The Breeders were trying to resurrect their careers (or more likely line their pockets) Dinosaur Jr. surprised everyone by putting out not only the best record of that alt-rock revival but the best album of its career. But that had to be a one-shot deal right? There’s no way they could follow it up.
Think again. Farm the band’s fifth full-length with the original lineup is a blistering tribute to anthemic heartbreak and maximum riffage. Mascis has never had a problem working his guitar into a frenzy but these days he has more control than ever. As he cringes his way through a cracked-voice falsetto his noodling punctuates the breaks perfectly. The result is an album where not one second is wasted and yet it never seems forced or busy.
But to tout Farm as the next chapter in the J. Mascis show would be a huge mistake. Anyone who listened to J. Mascis and the Fog (or Dinosaur Jr. when Mascis was the only member) knows that he’s a virtuosic player who is prone to flights of self-indulgence. With Murph at the kit and Barlow on bass (and taking the mic on “Your Weather” and “Imagination Blind”) the rhythm section doesn’t just keep the beat it keeps Mascis in line.
Dripping with saturation and fuzzed-out like your favourite old sweater this album has nostalgic tones that the fans will love. At the same time Farm feels far more current than it has any right to. Big crunchy guitar and pedal-to-the-metal propulsion give it immediate hooks and with every song radio-single ready Dinosaur Jr. has found a way to top an already amazing back catalogue.
