Dinosaur then....

There is no timid opening note to Dino J’s new album, Farm.  With the first strum and beat comes power and energy that some may not expect from the 9th studio album of a band that has been around for 24 years, mind you missing the bassist for 18 of them.  At their last show at the Higher Ground a friend made the comment:  “They are the fastest aging band…” (See picture example).  This is true judging by their looks, but they’re only getting tighter.  Though the members of Dinosaur play slack-rock, they are one of the hardest working bands I can think of, which has earned them a longevity that most bands these days just do not have.

The songs are epic, questioning and challenging.  They don’t slow down, they all rock hard.  The emotion is consistent from all three members.  Of course, J’s singing and shredding go back in fourth dominating parts of the song, but they both sound just as good as they did 20 years ago- so turn it up loud!  They surprisingly ended the album with a Lou song.   His writing style is usually a lot more experimental and angry than gentle J’s, but this one seems to be the most in tune with the classic Dinosaur sound so far.  I like it as the ending, the lyrics are positive and end the album on a high note: “We want to leave behind/ what can’t be held”.  At this rate, Dinosaur is going to be around for a good long time.

Dinosaur Jr. now....