Emily: Dinosaur Jr. is one of those bands I’ve heard of for years, but had no idea what they were about. So many bands list them as an influence, they’re always referenced in music articles, and now they end up on this list. I’ve been meaning to get into them for a long time, so now is as good a time as any. After all this time, I finally know a bit of what they’re all about, and I like a lot of what I hear. They use a lot of distortion and experiment with different sounds. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the occasional screaminess and weird combinations of noises, but the experimentation for the most part was understated enough to still be musical. The lo-fi production gave it a basement-recording vibe that enhanced these effects rather than detracting. Am I a huge Dinosaur Jr. fan after this long-overdue introduction? Perhaps not, but I am looking forward to further exploring their sound.
Favorite Tracks: The Lung; Sludgefest; Raisans
Zack: I would not have guessed late 80s for this album. I probably would have put it at 1992 at the earliest, maybe even later. It just has a sort of ahead-of-its-time quality to it that is oddly reminiscent of Pixies. There isn’t such a wide range of stylist influence, but you can tell that this album was a trailblazer for a lot of modern bands, especially for the more indie-based. Even though I think there’s a big difference between the sounds of My Morning Jacket or Bright Eyes and Dinosaur Jr., I don’t think the first two would or even could exist without this album. Dinosaur Jr. were signed with a small, independent label that’s only experience with a band quite like them was a one year stint with Sonic Youth, but they didn’t let that restrain their ambitions. They showed it was possible to focus more on making the music you wanted to make and letting other people decide whether it was good or not. Take, for example, the song Poledo. It’s nearly six minutes long and composed almost entirely of lo-fi ukulele. I’m guessing that wasn’t at the label’s request. Through YLAOM, you can really tell that Dinosaur Jr. didn’t go into the studio thinking about making a platinum album, or trying to make boatloads of cash, or even trying to make people like them. They went in just to make the best music that they could make. There’s a certain purity to making music with this stripped-down goal in mind, and that really shines through.
Favorite Tracks: Little Furry Things; In a Jar; Sludgefeast
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