The Wheel's Still In Spin: Dinosaur Jr

Release Date: 1 May 2007 (Fat Possum)

It’s been 15 years since the original Dinosaur Jr lineup of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph recording an album together. The album, Beyond, not only sounds like the classic Dinosaur Jr albums, it highlights some of the best music these musicians have made. It’s almost as if these guys were holding on to some of their best stuff for this album, which harkens back to the sound of Without A Sound and other Dinosaur Jr albums.

Almost Ready (mp3)

This Is A Story Of True Victory, But The Road Is Long…

“When he opens his mouth, knock him in the teeth. Then hit him in the stomach over and over again. Ha. He drops his pants.” Bill, the avid video game collector of all systems old and new, was reminding Kyle how to beat King Hippo on Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! It had been at least 15 years since Kyle played this original NES Nintendo 8-bit video game. Having made it past his first four opponents, Kyle as Little Mac was beating King Hippo pretty easily.

“What have you been listening to lately?” asked Kyle as he alternated between the A and B buttons to repeatedly hit King Hippo’s tummy.

“I’ve been listening to the new Dinosaur Jr album,” Bill told him.

“Is that album any good?”

“Yeah. You want to hear it?” Bill asked as he pressed play on the disc changer’s remote.

King Hippo had been defeated and Little Mac was meeting his next adversary, Great Tiger. Throughout the fight, the jewel on Great Tiger’s turban flashes. This signifies an oncoming jab. Through Bill’s speakers, “Almost Ready” began playing. The song started with a searing J. Mascis solo and the tight rhythms of a masterful band reuniting for one of their best albums. At exactly 2:30 into the round, Great Tiger quickly spun around the ring and swung his power punches. By 2:30 into the song, the sound had been layered with the chorus vocals, extra rhythm instruments, and a guitar solo in each speaker. It was a powerful flashy song to accompany a foe of similar description.

“Crumble” showcased Mascis’ vocals. He sung with the same slacker tone he made popular in the heyday of the alternative/grunge days of the nineties. His voice never seemed too forced, there’s not too much effort behind the way he sings, but the songs sound just as vital as the original Dinosaur Jr. albums.

“This album sounds as good as their original stuff,” declared Kyle. “I was worried when I heard they were getting back together. It seems so many bands have been reuniting and releasing drab material just to cash in on their name.”

“Yeah. This album is almost worth waiting 15 years for the original band to get back together,” added Bill.

The next fighter to face Little Mac was Bald Bull. He was an intimidating boxer, a tall, powerful hitter. He came out quickly with crushing jabs. And the next Dinosaur Jr song was “Pick Me Up.” It hinted at the band’s harder influences with quick, distorted guitar riffs and sustained, fuzzy bass lines. As Bald Bull went for his power move, backing up in the ring and hopping forward, the band shifted gears with a vibrating guitar line and the vocal refrain of “Hold on.” Kyle hit Bald Bull in the stomach as he bounced forward and down the big fighter went.

With the Major and Minor Circuits behind him, Little Mac trained by running behind his bike riding trainer, Doc Louis. By the time they faced Mr. Sandman, Kyle and Bill were on their second listening of Beyond. Full of aggressive guitar riffs and assertive rhythms, Dinosaur Jr came back with an album just as good as their classics.

As Kyle squared off against the tough 284-pound fighter from Philadelphia, the song “Been There All The Time” played. The secret to defeating Mr. Sandman was in getting a feel for his rhythm. Once Kyle mastered the fighter’s style, he was able to dodge the hits and get in a few quick uppercut and jab combinations. The stop-start rhythm of “Been There All The Time” and Murph’s pungent fills helped Kyle get accustomed to Mr. Sandman’s timing.

By the time Kyle had reached The Dream Fight against Mike Tyson, these video gamers were listening to Beyond for the third time. Kyle controlled Little Mac through all three rounds against the opponent. This was before Tyson’s days of biting ears and tattooing his eye socket. Even though this was a video game, it was from an era when Tyson was an undefeated champion. But Little Mac won by decision.

That’s when Mike Tyson’s image came on the screen with the quotes, “Great fighting!! You were tough, Mac! I’ve never seen such finger speed before!”

Apparently, Mike Tyson has not seen a Dinosaur Jr show.

Been There All The Time video: