Alt icons KIM GORDON and Disonaur Jr‘s main man J MASCIS
have added two more tracks to the crowded Sub Pop Singles Club.
Two collaborative compositions. Two electric-powered garage-rock
drills with Mascis torturing his guitar and Gordon howling (Slow Boy)
and hounding (Abstract Blues).
SLOW BOY was originally released on a 2015 EP, curated
by shoe brand Converse, called ‘Cons EP Vol. 3’…
ABSTRACT BLUES was written last
year and played live at a benefit event…
J Mascis: “I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some
of that dueling 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.”
Pitchfork: “Against steep odds, the Western Massachusetts noisemakers’ classic
lineup has made more records in the 21st century than they did in the ’80s, and
unlike Pixies, they’ve achieved a kind of lineup equilibrium that eluded them the
first go-round… Featuring co-production from Kurt Vile, the classic trio’s latest
reunion album is their breeziest and most melodically generous yet.”
Score: 7/10.
Turn Up The Volume: This could easily be one of their 90s albums.
Same fuzz, same buzz. Still slacking like in the early days. Too familiar
for my liking.
Slacker rockers DINOSAUR JR. (1984–1997, 2005–present)
canned a new album, titled Sweep It Into Space.
The record will see the day of light on 23 April
via Jagjaguwar. More info & tracklist here.
J Mascis: “I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some
of that dueling 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.”
After lead-single I Ran Away the band keeps us happy, while waiting
for the LP release, with another new track.Garden is a melancholic song
written by Lou Barlow and surrounded by that typical Dinosaur Jr. sound.
Slacker rockers DINOSAUR JR. (1984–1997, 2005–present) went
into the studio to record another LP, called SWEEP IT INTO SPACE.
The record will see the day of light on 23 April
via Jagjaguwar. More info & tracklist here.
J Mascis: “I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some
of that dueling 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.”
Along with the good news comes lead single I RAN AWAY.
AllMusic/John Azpiri: “The Tragically Hip have always taken a certain modest pride in their Canadian roots… The straight-ahead roots rock of Road Apples is a perfect example of why the Tragically Hip are legends north of the 49th parallel. American audiences have yet to catch on, but they would be doing themselves a favor by not stepping aside Road Apples.” Score: 4/5.
Rolling Stone: “Listen to Green Mind a time or two and the term folk rock starts to take on entirely new dimensions. While no one’s going to mistake Dinosaur Jr majordomo J. Mascis for
a Roger McGuinn acolyte, there’s no denying that his pretty melodies and drawling, laid-back voice connote folk as surely as his over-the-top guitar playing spells rock. The resulting musical conflation is the sort of hybrid for which oxymorons like “lethargic urgency” are coined.”
Score: 4/5.
The Los Angeles Times: “The album’s sound is as stripped-down as Mitchell has gotten in a while: lush, smooth sailing of the sort that Joni fans who’ve been away a while will love to come back to. What they’ll find is an artist who has continued to grow in surprising ways–as opposed to fighting off getting old.” Score: 4/5.
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
30 October 2018
Band: DINOSAUR JR. Album: BUG – the band’s third longplayer
Released: 31 October 1988 – 30 years ago
ALL MUSIC review: “Relatively cleaner-produced and more accessible than ‘You’re Living All Over Me’, ‘Bug’ expanded on the strengths of its predecessor, and established Dinosaur Jr. as a major band in the American underground. Although the majority of the album is firmly situated in the sprawling, noisy metallic fusion of hard rock and avant noise, Bug also demonstrates that J Mascis has a talent for winding folk-rock, particularly on “The Post” and “Pond Song.” Like its predecessor, the songs on Bug are quite uneven, but it does represent a major step forward for Mascis, particularly on the masterpiece of the record, “Freak Scene,” a surprisingly catchy song encapsulating the appeal and pitfalls of indie rock within three minutes.” – Score: 4.5/5
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: Mastermind J Mascis had the noisy gift to write smooth melodies, build them up and break them down, turn them inside out, inject them with electrifying turmoil, add his wandering vox where needed and finally shape some stirring turbulence with poignant effects out of all his cut and slash work.
TOP TRACKS: Freak Scene / They Always Come / Pond Song / Budge / Keep the Glove
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums
8 February 2018
BAND: DINOSAUR JR
ALBUM: WHERE YOU BEEN
RELEASED: 9 February 1993 – 25 years ago
ROLLING STONE wrote: “On their second major-label album, these college-underground champs recall the shambling lope of ‘Crazy Horse-era Young’, as well as hints of minor Seventies icons from ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ to ‘Humble Pie’. But far from being derivative, leader J Mascis takes a familiar deck of cards and deals out a new game. While for Young guitar clamor signaled rage and desperation, for Mascis it’s retreat. Before a roiling torrent of distorted guitars and oceanic drum bash, Mascis sings in a laid-back croak, like a character talking calmly to the camera in the midst of a riotous crowd scene. The turmoil on Where You Been is a relationship crippled
by misunderstanding, detailed in a poignant second-person narrative that consumes virtually every song on the album. Like many of its peers, Dinosaur Jr is a musical cargo cult, turning the detritus of another culture into something that can be used — and maybe even worshiped. For one of the crowning glories of slacker culture, look no further.”
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: to my ears one the best Dinosaur longplayers – with an arresting mix of sparkling electricity, poppy grunginess and amplified balladry
THREE HIGHLIGHTS: Get Me / Out There / Not The Same
* GET ME – galvanizing mixed emotions romanticism
* OUT THERE – crackling leccy…
* NOT THE SAME – melancholic splendour at its very best…
