I'm a little late to this one but, yeah, the new Dinosaur Jr. album, Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not is a thing of concise, messy indie beauty. The return of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph on the Jagjaguwar release is something to be thankful for as the results here are quite splendid.
From the opening one-two punch of "Goin' Down" and "Tiny", it's apparent that the boys are in fine form this time out. These cuts, like so many here, are blistering slabs of indie energy. "I Told Everyone" offers up a sort of refined take on the early stuff that Dinosaur Jr. was cranking out some 3 decades ago, while "Love Is..." shines as a bit of Sebadoh-like bit of business, which makes perfect sense given the return of Barlow to this group. On the longer "I Walked For Miles" and "Lost For Days", Mascis unleashes more expansive guitar solos and the tunes are closer to some fine blend of the best of early Sonic Youth and peak-period Neil Young, which is to say that they sound like the classic Dinosaur Jr. you grew up with in the college rock-saturated late Eighties. Album closer "Left/Right" is a damn beautiful near-ballad that unfurls with a sort of deliberateness that nearly holds in check the fire of these players.
Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not is out now via Jagjaguwar. Follow Dinosaur Jr., and get dates for their current tour, via the band's official website.
[Photo: Levi Walton]