Dinosaur Jr.: “Watch the Corners”

Now three records into its unlikely reunion, the classic Dinosaur Jr. lineup seems to be chugging on strong. The past few years have seen a creative rekindling for J Mascis and Lou Barlow, both of whom spent the first half of the Aughts looking awfully washed up. Mascis, having finally retired the Dinosaur Jr. moniker of which he had long been the sole founding member, released a string of star-studded solo records as J Mascis + The Fog to middling reviews and popularity. Barlow, who flourished in the ’90s after being ousted from the band following 1988’s Bug, was in a state of limbo as his once-great Sebadoh hung in indefinite hiatus and his other group, The Folk Implosion, sputtered out. Tours by both men during this period mostly rehashed past glories. And few would have faulted Dinosaur Jr., after their decision to come back together in 2005, for continuing on doing just that. As with The Pixies a few years earlier, the bitter acrimony within the group was so well known that the reunion was widely assumed to be a cynical, if well deserved, cash-in by a band whose popularity had only intensified since its dissolution.

But then a funny thing happened. While cleaning up on their initial tours, Mascis and Barlow apparently buried the hatchet to the point where they could work together in the studio again. The resulting album, 2007’s Beyond, was a surprising return to form. And with 2009’s Farm and this year’s I Bet on Sky, the original Dinosaur Jr. has now made as many albums together post-reunion as they did in the ’80s. It’s remarkable on these new albums how little the time apart seems to have mattered. Aside from improved recording techniques, this track “Watch the Corners,” for example, could have just as easily been recorded in 1986 by three 22-year-olds fresh from a stinking, broken-down tour van. Mascis’ garbled Neil Young vocals are strongly in evidence (though more clearly mic-ed and more on key than in previous decades), drawling out a memorable melody over a languid guitar base in the verses, which are framed by louder, crunchy intros and quick bursts of old-timey guitar heroics. For Barlow’s part, he steps back, playing the dutiful sideman as his bass guitar locks in with Murph’s always-precise full-kit drum attack. They may not exactly be re-inventing the wheel here, but Dinosaur Jr. are still coming up with compelling songs delivered in a style which they almost single-handedly made timeless. Just sit back and enjoy the comfort food.