Maybe Now It's Dinosaur Sr.

True story: a couple of years ago, when Dinosaur Jr. first reunited and started touring again, I was in a store that sold musical instruments in Chicago. This was about a day before Lollapalooza 2005 (which the band was playing) started. Now I was at the back of the store when I heard a bunch of yelling by the front door, and walked over to see a long-haired and scruffy looking gentleman get kicked out. The store owner said something like "No homeless people allowed in my store!" once he had shoved the guy back outside. One of the clerks asked him what the deal was. The owner said a bunch of homeless people have been coming into the store and stealing things the past few months, so he's got a "no homeless person" policy now to prevent further theft. The thing about it is, I got a really good look at the guy, and I'm about 95% sure it was J. Mascis. I couldn't help but laugh at the stupid move that store owner probably made. I just wish I'd gone outside and talked to him to find out if it really was him.

That's my Dinosaur Jr. story, whether J. Mascis actually appears in it or not is debatable. I like to think that it was him. But now, 2 years after that story occurred, Dinosaur Jr. is officially back. By "officially back" I mean "new material is coming out." I for one say it's about damn time. With the band's original lineup now intact (for the time being, at least) once again, Dinosaur Jr. can pick up where they left off. That is, in the Barlow years. Not that the post-Barlow years weren't good ones for the band, but nothing quite packed the same punch as albums like "You're Living All Over Me" and "Bug" did. So I was hoping that with the re-addition of Barlow to the lineup that we'd get something that special once again. The end product is "Beyond," which will be released on May 1st.

What we've got in "Beyond" is a mixture of eras- some tracks point to the 80s Dinosaur Jr., some point to the 90s version, and still others contain the modernized sound of today that's not quite anything the band has ever done before. Somehow it all sounds cohesive and holds together really well, and I suppose that's largely due to the fact that the band members are as good, if not better than they used to be with their respective instruments. J. Mascis remains one of the world's greatest living guitar players, and he absolutely proves himself once again on the album. If anything, the guitar work is the focal point and unsung star of the album (well, on what Dinosaur Jr. album hasn't it been?). Among other things though, I'm also incredibly happy to see Lou Barlow back in the band, as his contributions to Dinosaur Jr. are also vast and impressive. In fact, the two tracks where he handles lead vocals on the album might just be the best Dinosaur Jr. songs in almost 2 decades.

Certainly "Beyond" measures up to past Dinosaur Jr. albums. In fact, it probably bypasses most of them with ease. I honestly don't believe they'll ever get back to the "You're Living All Over Me" days (a lot of that was almost a right place-right time kinda thing), however what they're doing in 2007 reminds me a lot of that era. Lou Barlow MUST have something to do with that, which makes me even happier he's back. If you're new to Dinosaur Jr. then their upcoming album is probably a great place to start listening to them. "Beyond" is quintessential Dinosaur Jr. once again, and if you can't get into that then you're probably not going to get into the band at all. It feels good to have some fresh Dinosaur Jr. material in 2007. This isn't an album that will make big headlines or get mountains of praise shoved upon it, but it is something that's perfect for those of us still in love with some good old fashioned guitar rock. There's a distinct comfort in that which is difficult to explain.

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