Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
^{released June 23, 2009
Jagjaguwar}


Will it be as good as their old stuff?

That's usually the first question most fans will ask when a band like Dinosaur Jr. releases a new record. When the reunion rock-machine Beyond was released in 2007, Mascis, Murph and Barlow answered that question with a ‘YES’ the size of multiple Marshall stacks. This time the band has been back together and touring for a couple years, and again they put to rest any questions over whether they still got it. Dinosaur Jr. has it, and for their new album Farm they’ve harvested a shit-ton of it.

From the minute the album starts, fans will be reassured. The opening track kicks off with an all-business flam salvo from Murph and big chords bursting from J, and you know it's on. Being comfortably back in friendly territory, I set about really trying to digest the record. I listened to it all morning on my headphones, and then during lunch I cranked it in the car.  As I rolled up the windows and let the A/C wash over me I closed my eyes and thought, if only I were smoking a joint right now, it would be just like high school. Which if you think about it, is really one of a handful of true tests of any Dinosaur Jr record: Can I hotbox my car to it? Yes. Can I mope over some chick who broke up with me to it? Yes. Can I listen to it while coming down off acid and drinking beer ‘till the cows come home and marvel at how J Mascis really gets me?  You bet. Farm passes all these tests with flying colors.

So here’s what you need to know about Farm if you haven’t bought it already. Everything about it is big, full, rich and luxurious; the production, the solos, even the song lengths, some of which run north of 6 minutes (8 minutes for the epic “I Don’t Wanna Go There.” It seems a little less aggro than Beyond, which had a hurried feel to it, as if the band were in a rush to prove that they were back and still great. "Farm," on the other hand feels a touch more comfortable. It takes its time and leads us through its landscapes. Some of the songs feel like sonic roadtrips, and the guitar solos I think play a vital role here.

Dinosaur Jr. has in some ways always been as much about the guitar solos as the big riffs they punctuated. They were one of the first punk (scene) bands to make solos okay. In the eyes of the original punk crowd, solos were seen as cheesy hallmarks of ballads, arena rock and hair metal. J Mascis changed that. His solos have always been killer and heartfelt, and these are no exception. They are big, plaintive wailing pieces that ride the foundations of the songs while breaching into the clouds.