(Photo Credit - Cara Totman)
Advance Review - Dinosaur Jr.: Sweep It Into Space (April 23, 2021) via Jagjaguwar
I have to admit it up front, I'm an unbridled fan of Dinosaur Jr. I think J. Mascis is one of the greatest guitarists to ever exist and that they're one of the most talented bands out there. Hell, I bought my Fender Jaguar to emulate J. (with little success, what can I say? I'm a rhythm guitar player through and through). However, what I love most about Dinosaur Jr. is that it was my wife Susan that first introduced me to them. Susan is a tried and true Gen X'er and I'm an early Millennial. She has such a different experience with music she grew up with in the early 90's and she was always into what Dinosaur Jr. had to offer. When she introduced me I couldn't get enough. By this time, the band had already had their hiatus and their triumphant return.
I ate up everything I could get, vinyl, merch, and have even seen them play live twice (once in Ohio and once in Texas). I can say out of all the shows I've seen, they put on a great live performance and it will rock you. There's another reason that I love Dinosaur Jr. After I first learned of them, I shared my enthusiasm with my older brother Joey. He was hooked. He even joined us for one of the shows! One of the things I love about music is how it can connect people. Dinosaur Jr. has had an impact on the relationships I have with my wife and my brother (look for Joey's notes/rating below!). So needless to say when it was announced they would be releasing Sweep it into Space, I was ready to dive in head first.
Sweep it into Space very much continues the current Dinosaur Jr. run of music that features guitar-driven, but melodic songs that you could just as easily mosh to, as you could dance. There are still face-melting guitar solos, chunky bass, and head bashing drums, so it very much has the feel of a traditional Dinosaur Jr. record. We're even treated to a Lou Barlow sung track, "Garden". All of this is true, but what stands out to me the most as I listened to Sweep it into Space is that Dinosaur Jr. though active since 1984 haven't lost their touch. They show that their unique styling of rock oriented alt/noise is just as relevant today as it was with their first release Dinosaur.
Few bands are able to blend such hard driving melodies with understated vocals the way that this trio does. They're arguably at their height on the album on the middle tracks "Hide Another Round" and "And Me". While these may be the apex of buzzing melodies, that is by no means an effort to short change any of the other tracks on the record. Sweep it into Space arrives like a hurricane for your ears, uncompromisingly powerful and intense, the album begs you to strap in for the signature J. Mascis guitar solos alone. One thing is for sure, come April 23 there's a bomb that's going to hit alt music, and it's title is Sweep it into Space. So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.
Rating - 5/5
Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space Review Notes/Rating - Joey La Torre
...I love that Sweep It Into Space still has the classic Dinosaur Jr. sound!...
...”I Ain’t” is a perfect first song for the album. It pulls you in with the melody, hits you with a solo and leaves you begging for track 2...
...Sweep It Into Space is full of great tunes. Not a single dud on the album. It’s certainly easy to start this one from the beginning and let it play through...
Sweep It Into Space easily earns a 5 out of 5 rating and is sure to become another Dinosaur Jr. hit!