Artist of the Week: Dinosaur Jr

If you have not heard of Dinosaur Jr. than you may or may not live under a rock. The group has been around since prehistoric times (oh yeah, I went there). Actually,  the band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in the 80’s and released their first album Dinosaur in 1985. They had an extremely successful run (boasting the likes of Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain as fans) up until the release of their album Hand It Over in 1997. There were many reports that the band was not getting along. It was not long after that the group disbanded, only to reunite nearly a decade later and release Beyond in 2007. A triumphant return marked by praise from both critics and fans alike.

Now, two years later, Dinosaur Jr. seem to still be on good terms as they are back with a new album entitled Farm. The record was recorded at frontman J. Mascis’ home and was released June 23rd on the band’s new label, Jagjaguwar. It is one of their best efforts to date (a tough feat with such an extensive and impressive catalog).

Farm is a very solid  and very catchy record. It seems as though the reason these guys continue to have success into their 40’s is that they are authentic. The new album is fun, real and raw in a way that is hard to find in today’s music scene. There is no carbon copy formula they are following. It’s just Dinosaur Jr. doing what they do best, making distorted, catchy, and enjoyable rock tunes. The kind you want to dance around your room playing air-guitar to or jump up and down on your bed singing (or screaming in my case) at the top of your lungs.

Highlights from the album include the first single released off the disc ,entitled “Over It”.  Other standout tracks include “I Want You To Know” and “I Don’t Want To Go There”.  WARNING: These songs will get stuck in your head… but that is definitely not a bad thing.

When talking about the album it must be mentioned that the cover art is pretty outstanding. Not entirely sure what is going on but it seems to me that there are some strange, earthy, mythical beasts carrying what I like to assume are the members of Dinosaur Jr. around a smoggy city. You can decide the implications on your own (picture below).

Being that this album is so well put together and packed full of memorable tracks, you’ll certainly be hearing it in heavy rotation here on BTR. So, keep your ears open and enjoy.

Dinosaur Jr. LIVE!!

Jun 30  -  Boogaloo  -  Zagreb, Coatia
Jul  04  -  Halifax V-Festival  -  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Jul 25   -  Fuji Rock Festival  -  Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan
Aug 14  – Wellfleet Beachcomber  -  Wellfleet, MA
Aug 16  -  Central Park SummerStage – New York, NY

Link to this article:
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=artist.php?id=233

- Emily Smith