Far From Extinct
With the second release since their reunion Dinosaur Jr. prove that not all comebacks are short lived. ‘Farm’ sees the band as fresh as ever with lithe, electric rock tunes that raise the hairs on the back of your neck with their crashing, discordant guitars and aching vocals.
Lazy rock tunes spin epic guitar solos at the drop of a hat and seventies grooves give rise to blissful harmonies at every twist and turn; this is a quintessential Dinosaur Jr. album but the yield of catchy tunes seems to be growing, rather than diminishing, as the band progress.
From the high tempo rocking tunes like the brash ‘Friends’ and bright, upbeat opener ‘Piece’ to the slowburning ‘Plans’, J. Mascis and crew are on top form. ‘There’s No Here’ adds a touch of fractious, romping rock to the mix. The album is well-crafted with the gritty rock ballad ‘Plans’ appearing at just the right time to really cast a spell over the listener with six minutes of tight rock that gets the perfect balance between emotional and driving.
‘You Weather’ has a strong psychedelic bent with looming vocal harmonies, cascading floods of guitarwork and a tight rhythm that has you hooked right until the unexpectedly sudden end. If it’s this side of Dinosaur Jr. that you’re desperate to hear then 7 minute colossus ‘Said The People’ is also likely to please as it slowly unfolds into a fierce guitar solo with real rock anthem potential. ‘I Don’t Wanna Go There’ is another highlight with a real all American swagger to the rhythm and fizzy, chugging guitars.
‘Farm’ is the fifth full-length release from the original Dinosaur Jr. line-up and it’s a very worthy addition to a very interesting back catalogue. While fans may have bought tickets to the band’s UK tour off the back of the older material, they’ll definitely not be let down by the new anthems offered here.