Dinosaur Jr. - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

Dinosaur Jr.
Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
2016
Spotify

Dinosaur Jr. have gone through many different iterations. However making music since the 80s will do that to a band. This is the third version of Dinosaur Jr. and many people will call this new album Give a Glimpse of What Yet Not their best yet. The original band has been back since 2007, and that time to meld and build trust again clearly had a really solid impact on the band's writing. This is very much a stripped down version of the Dinosaur Jr.. Their is almost no fat on the entire record, everything is crisp, precise and well constructed even though it is through a more loose Rock & Roll style. While the Foo Fighters would likely call Dinosaur Jr. one of their influences it is the early Foo who they really end up sounding like on this record. The first two tracks in particular are heavily influenced, yet they feel very much part of Dinosaur Jr. rather than anyone else. What you realize when listening to songs like "I Told Everyone" you realize that this kind of music is not being made these days at this high of a level. Their sound is raw yet razor sharp and their lyrics can cut right to the core of you exposing some truth that you were perhaps even hiding from yourself. When you think of Rock & Roll this is what you want to hear, this kind of depth and this kind of emotion.

The shorter songs like "Love Is...", "Tiny" and "Good to Know" are the ones where the most is packed in to a small space. Keeping the tracks under four minutes forces to band to really get to the core of what they are trying to say. Even the guitar solo on "Love Is..." feels very much a part of the song rather than just flourish. There are issues however with the record. The two Lou Barlow sung tracks "Love Is..." and "Left/Right" both feel a bit off from the rest of the record. The cohesion that is so essential to their sound seems to fade when Barlow sings. It is not that He is a bad singer, because He clearly isn't, but his vocals just don't fit with this version of Dinosaur Jr.. "I Walk For Miles" which sounds almost prog-rock-ish is really one of the worst songs on the album. It sounds like a bad version of Soundgarden which is not sure whether to embrace the dark or keep it light. This fence straddling is where they miss the mark the most. When they are confident and sure of their sound it comes through, and more importantly when they aren't you really can tell. The song drags for five and a half minutes most of which feels wildly unnecessary. Those moments are few and far between and the next track after "I Walk For Miles", "Lost All Day" brings the record right back along. Solid is most likely the best description for this record. It is not life changing, just some really great Rock & Roll to enjoy and to continue to enjoy as life moves on.

7.9 out of 10