Dinosaur Jr have consistently released album after album of noisy rock and sunshine-smeared fuzz pop for the better part of four decades. Starting out in the noise scene of early 80s indie/punk rock with the likes of Sonic Youth, Husker Du, and Yo La Tengo, the three piece led by J Mascis has morphed their feedback-laced songs into more nuanced, almost folk rock(folk rock that’s definitely plugged in.) But with their latest Sweep It Into Space(co-produced by Kurt Vile), the band is at their most uplifting and optimistic-sounding. This record is the closest Dino Jr has come to sounding like the acoustic-led J Masic solo records. The band’s pop tendencies shine through here.
Of course, don’t think that just because the band sounds optimistic that they don’t rock. “I Met The Stones” is as close as Dino Jr has come to all-out heavy metal. That chugging riff could just as easily be influenced by Judas Priest as Neil Young. Pure unadulterated riffage. “I Ran Away” is a country-tinged rocker. The Kurt Vile vibes are all over this one, but then again the J Mascis vibes are all over Kurt Vile so it’s sort of a musical version of what came first, the chicken or the egg(Mascis did, of course.) “Hide Another Round” is another chugging riff and bombastic drum and bass extravaganza. One of the most underappreciated rhythm sections in rock is Lou Barlow and Murph. These two know how to lay down a solid foundation.
Speaking of Barlow, “Garden” and “You Wonder” are two great Barlow-penned tracks. His vocals are reminiscent of the late Nick Drake, and never more so than on “Garden”.
From the sunny “And Me” and “Take It Back” to the pummeling “I Expect It Always” and “Walking To You” Dinosaur Jr have made an album that never lets up and keeps us engaged throughout all 12 tracks. For a band going into their fourth decade of making music, they still sound very much locked into the groove.
Sweep It Into Space is the best Dinosaur Jr album in years, and maybe even their best since the original line-up’s reunion in 2005. It highlights the pop melodies that are sometimes lost in layers of fuzz, and is the closest a full-on Dino Jr album has come to capturing Mascis’ softer side.
8.1 out of 10
Complex Distractions 
I saw this one in my online travels and wondered – glad to know it’s that good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. Taking me back and feelin’ the melancholy . . . and the infinite happiness!
Too bad my local “alternative rock” station will not play this. They’re too busy playing things like Elle King and Halsey (at least they did; I stopped listening after that, as most of their playlist is heard on the local Hot AC station. And today’s college stations . . . most aren’t “rock” anymore. So I won’t be expecting to hear it there, either.
I remember one of the first alternative stations we had in town, back in the post-“The Year Punk Broke” era. The station was all about the Spin Doctors and Crash Test Dummies — the “safe” bands. I called up asking for Sonic Youth. Their response: “You’re kidding, right? We don’t play that.” Then, it became a game for me, every couple days, different shifts: Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, etc. The staples of college rock: the same negative response. And so spun the same power-pop/punk band soundalike after another.
I’m buying this. Thanks for the review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t really sat down with this yet… although it’s not surprising to read that it’s a goody (given how consistent their stuff is) I’m quite excited to read that it might be their best since they returned. The bar is high. They’re really on a great run of form. Sounds like this has some of their heaviest stuff since Hand It Over, too… happens to be my favourite Dinosaur Jr album, so I think I might be in for a treat.
LikeLiked by 1 person