22 years after their debut album was released, the original Dinosaur Jr lineup (J Mascis, Murph, Lou Barlow) are back with a new album, Beyond, set for release in May, and their first taster single, Been There All The Time, to give us a taste of things to come. The big question is, have they still got what it takes?
Yes, yes and yes again. They may be grey, they may be old(er) but they are still crazy motherfuckers when it comes to guitars. Been There All The Time features bursts of guitar riff that stop and start jerkily to grab your attention, while Mascis sings with his trademark dry-throated but whiney voice, almost drowned at times by the thunking layers of distortion and crashing of drums.
And then there are his solos, which break out teasingly for a few bell-like chords in direct contrast to the grumbling, fuzzy, distorted background, then fade out leaving you desperate for more, leading up to a fantastic 'big finish'. Listening to this reminds me why we don't really need heavy metal bands anymore.
