SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DINOSAUR JR. – THERE NEAR

DINOSAUR JR. 
THERE NEAR
JAGJAGUWAR

Dinosaur Jr. is a band with a long history. Originally formed in 1984, this American rock band has previously released a total of 12 albums, and is now gearing up to release their 13th project, There Near.

There Near is a fresh sound from Dinosaur Jr, with a much more upbeat rhythm than their previous releases. “Several Got Away” is a perfect example of the band’s growth over time. When compared with songs from previous albums, this song has a happier tone, despite the lyrics themselves not necessarily being the most positive. J Mascis’ guitar and vocals are particularly the highlight of this track. The vocals in particular are more mellow in comparison to the instrumentals, which are very interesting and make the sound more complex than your average track. “Read the Room” was another delight from this album. Murph’s drums are a great leader on this song, with the rest of the instrumentals being heavily reliant on the timing provided by the drums. It comes together very nicely.

A song that was a bit disappointing on this album was “Walk Me Back.” While it does have a certain charm, the song doesn’t have much going on to make it stand out amongst the other strong entries on the album and easily becomes lost and forgettable. The standout on this song comes from Lou Barlow and his bass guitar, which give the track a good bit of depth.

Despite their longwinded history, Dinosaur Jr. is clearly nowhere near ready to hang up the towel on their musical career. Through lineup changes, genre changes, and other setbacks, it seems that this band will be back to the stage and to the studio once again. There Near is definitely a strong suggestion that the creative musical well in this band is not dried up just yet, and that fans can hopefully look forward to more from their favourite band.

Artist Links