Dinosaur Jr – Farm

Before I start this review, I feel I should make something known about myself: my favourite Dinosaur Jr album is their most recent, Beyond. Yeah, I know; popular convention dictates that it should really be one of the first three albums recorded with the “classic” (read: original) line-up of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph, or even the mid-90s commercial success Where You Been, and they’re all brilliant records, no question about that. There’s just something pure and joyous about the sound of those three guys picking up where they left off, from the amp buzz and squealing solo that make up first twenty seconds of opening track “Almost Ready” onwards ”“ as much a knowing wink as an intro ”“ that can’t be argued with. Bands make two great albums in a row all the time, but hardly any manage to record albums which, after nearly 20 years apart, recapture everything that made them great.Farm is the band’s second album since their reunion, and their first for Jagjaguwar; it’s also the band’s first double LP, and features the their most psychedelic, blissed-out artwork yet (seriously! Look at it! Doesn’t it make you want to smoke marijuana like a cigarette or something?). Don’t fret, though - the packaging may be decadent, but the songs remain the same; sure, Farm features their longest track to date (the thundering ‘I Don’t Wanna Go There’), but this is Dinosaur Jr we’re talking about here ”“ no one who picks this album up isn’t going to know what they’re letting themselves in for. Mascis ”“ as producer, songwriter and guitarist ”“ layers on the incendiary solos molasses-thick, and ensures that the songs swerve in all the right directions; ‘Pieces’ is a breezy-but-brutal opener, while the wah-wah-washed single ‘Over It’ puts Murph’s still-incredible drums to the fore, demonstrating the kind of classic bubblegrunge chops were last heard on Sugar’s peerless Copper Blue.Conversely, the lower-key tracks like ‘Plans’ and ‘Said the People’ have an understated, folky grace that is somewhat unique to this stage of their career (see also: Beyond highlight ‘We’re Not Alone’); in particular, Mascis’s keening falsetto as the former track comes to a halt takes it somewhere else entirely. Meanwhile, Lou’s two (token) contributions continue strike his unique balance between bitterness and tenderness ”“ most notably on the pseudo-glam stomp of closing track ‘Imagination Blind’, which sounds like Guided by Voices in their prime.So, in light of just how revelatory Farm is, I think I may have to revise the end of that opening paragraph a little bit. Bands make two great albums in a row all the time. That’s still true. So is the part about how infrequently reunion albums hit the mark. But here’s the twist ”“ even fewer manage to record two great albums in a row which, after nearly 20 years apart, recapture everything that made them great. I guess Dinosaur Jr are just making up for lost time... 80%Dinosaur Jr on MySpace