Album Review: Dinosaur Jr. - ‘There Near’

Alt rock legends Dinosaur Jr. are back with There Near, their sixth album since reuniting 20 years ago. The album features music from the renowned trio of J. Mascis on guitar/vocals, Lou Barlow on bass/vocals, and Murph on drums. While most of the album consists of the trio of Dinosaur Jr., they did get an assist from Ken Mauri on piano and organ. There Near opens with “Several Got Away” a roaring track that features some signature guitar solos from Mascis. The record continues with “No Friends”, which features some great riffing with palm mutes from Mascis, some thick bass from Barlow, and booming percussion courtesy of Murph. Oh, did we mention Mascis solos your face off for a while?

“Everything at Once” slows things down a little bit and Mascis shines here on vocals. His signature understated style pairs perfectly with the more mellow melodies the trio accomplishes here. We also appreciated the highs from Mascis on guitar. The fuzzy riffs on “Blowin’ Up” slink along perfectly with Murph’s percussion, and features Barlow on vocals. Regarding themes on the record Mascis stated “Someone suggested this album sounds more upbeat, but I guess that’s to do with my delivery, because lyrics like “No Friends” might make you think otherwise. But I usually write in the third person. It’s all just make believe” via press release. We understand that lyrically, some of these tracks may be dark. However, rhythmically, they beg you to move to them. We couldn’t help but vibe along to “Clam Along”, which comes in the back half of the record.

We cannot end this without talking about “Put it Down” the ballad on the record. We have to say that this one might join the pantheon of our top 10, maybe top 5 Dinosaur Jr. songs of all time. That’s a big compliment. Mascis’ guitar work on this track is simply arresting. He wails away with one of the best guitar solos we have heard all year. The skill needed for what Mascis does in this one is a Hendrix level of adoration for us.

Rating - 9/10

We also couldn’t do a review of Dinosaur Jr. without getting a guest spot for our resident Dinosaur Jr. fanatic, Contributor Joey La Torre!

“What I love about Dinosaur Jr. is I never need to worry about the quality of their new releases. Like everything they put out, There Near continues a long trend of great music. I once again find myself moving with every song, performing my most passionate air guitar to J’s shreds.”