Bug

65

"Why? Why don't you like me?" After mentally preparing to go into this album completely blind, I was pleasantly surprised to have instantly recognized the very first song "Freak Scene," and this was a clear standout track for the album, rivaling that of the best Sonic Youth and Pixies tracks. "Let It Ride" was another clear standout track that I know I'll be coming back to, with it's hypnotic riff and captivating melodies. I did find quite a bit of this album to be fairly uninspired and without much melodic throughlines to follow. Actually the noisiest and likely most hated track "Don't" had lots of originality, and was super emotionally raw, which made it more enjoyable than most of the second half of this album. Besides the two standout tracks I mentioned, I likely won't be coming back to bug. 🦖🦖🦖

I didn't like this one quite as much as You're Living All Over Me, but this was still some really great noisy slacker rock from this band.

This was ehhhhh. First song was solid. Rest was mostly forgettable. Just a bunch of guitars making background noise and a bunch of stuff that blended together and OH GOD WHAT WAS THAT LAST SONG. Well it was gonna be a 3. But Don’t made it a 2.

Poor bug :( Why don't they like him? Dinosaur Jr.'s guitar tones are always fun when you let them fully wash over you. Even the singer's dissonant vocals work in the music's favour! While this album didn't grab me as thoroughly as You're Living All Over Me did, it does showcase the band's range a bit better in my opinion. They do a good job mixing in some more accessible material in-between the heavy sludge. Of course, the album closer is there to remind you that they can still get aggressive with it, and it fuckin rips. I liked it! Standouts: Freak Scene • They Always Come • Let It Ride • Pond Song • Don't

I didn't dislike this album, but i can see why J Mascis said it was his least favorite. It's still good, but I think it lacks the surprises and interesting touches of You're Living All Over Me, which ended up being a surprise favorite of mine in this challenge.

A real roller coaster of an album. Kinda got the same feeling as after watching Dogville for the first

5/10

Nothing wrong with it, but nothing stand out either

It was ok, Don't was a weird song.

Yeah, fine, whatever

Didn't mind this, proto grunge, chuckled at the tonal whiplash of the last two songs

Not my kind of music

Medium noise rock.

Little bit depressing but ok

Most songs I really enjoyed, but “Don’t” legitimately wanted to stop listening entirely. I think I’d give the album a 4 if it weren’t for how terribad that one is

Yup, that's punk rock

I’ve always loved J Mascis as a guitarist especially, mostly the band delivers great rock music and this is pretty good, though not amazing. A little too teenage in a way and not that consistent. But it has its moments and the instrumentation is pretty great. 7/10

Crap

Such awful noise. This incessant whining voice and shitty lazy instrumentation doesn’t deserve any place amongst this list.

favs: pond song don’t rating 1/5

Pretty good, but there are better Dinosaur Jr. albums

I want to like them - I’ve tried several times including before seeing them live once with Weezer, but just can’t get there.

Quite adequate for the genre.

It's okay!

Ok, competent guitar band earns a 3, lack of attitude and average vocal knocks it down to 1.5, so a 2

Sounded good in concert, but the studio stuff did quite capture their sound.

Lethargic grunge with the exception of the song Don't. The raw anger felt out of place - not that I minded it. I finally woke up.

I thought it would be a bunch of hardcore punk grooves under ultra-skronk. It's better than that, happily.

Meh

Fire. Really like when it gets more punky.

WHY DONT YOU LIKE ME?!?

freak scene is quite nice

I have always LOVED Freak Scene, the opening track on Bug, but for how much I love that song, that's how blah /annoying the rest sounds to me - don't know why, but a lot of the following tracks sound like noise e basta

It's like white noise. At first, I'm slightly distressed by it, but then his voice feels comforting. It fills the space.

Arguably the best guitarist of his generation. When he wants to J Mascis can write catchy tunes. When he doesn't...look out. Famously Pete Buck (amongst many artists and venues of the era) begged J to turn down when playing live because the guitar would overwhelm both the audience (been there) and the venue PA alike. The early albums were no different. Gems buried amidst noise which is what makes an entire album a bit of a slog. Dinosaur Jr do not make it easy. Gotta respect it even if you don't want to listen to it.

Me irrito bastante

This is a very unpolished album, but it's not bad. I mean, this album is fine. I just really don't have much to say about it. I think it feels very bland at points. I found this just became background music for me. And I would say it starts stronger than it ends. I felt look towards the end. I was just really losing interest. Fav Tack: Fresh Scene

The only DJ album I never owned. Freak Scene, The Post, Don’t. yeah I like this

No fav song

devolved after first songs

Well, this was an enjoyably jangly treat. I already knew Freak Scene but there were a couple of others that sounded familiar, so I am now starting to think that I have actually listened to this before. Warrants some revisiting too.

Terrible mix but very interesting approach to keeping things messy, while being harmonically interesting.

I'll give Dinosaur Jr credit for having a grungy sound a few years before grunge really took off (this album was 1988 and Nevermind was released 1991). I don't love the singer's voice. The music is decent. A couple of songs started to hook me: "Yeah We Know" and "Budge". Kind of a high 3.

I maybe liked this album more than the previous Dinosaur Jr. album, but I gave that a 4 star rating, and neither album is a 5 star album. So, I’m giving this a 3, and you all can just flip them in your mind.

This might be more remarkable for how early these guys reflected a sound that didn't get more mainstream until years later. Their sound makes me think of half a dozen other bands - Flaming Lips, Pavement, Yeasayer, even Sonic Youth - earnest, solidly alt rock, disaffected sometimes questionable vocals - without ever wholly rising to the level of the excellence some of those bands reached. Not an unpleasant listen but not anything I'm certain I'll come back to.

Oh yes, it's off to a great start, with rumbling rock and guitars à la Neil Young. Pounding drums; it fits the mood of the day perfectly. J Mascis’s vocals often sound very melodic against the grunge backdrop—a lovely contrast. All in all, an outstanding album. From what I can gather, the lyrics are excellent, too! "Just no clue, we just know what we do"—damn right. An uncompromising guitar album. 5 stars.

Was having a great time with this album until I wasn’t. Don’t is a disaster of a closing statement

Oh I love this album! Dinosaur Jr is interesting as their sing isn't good and they always sound sloppy. If they came out and made a really tight clean album it wouldn't work for them. Someone I know once called them nerd punk once and this was more aimed at how he sings, like a nerd. They remind me a lot of Violent Femmes, not in style but in that out of left field sound that shouldn't really work for the time yet still does. I would hear them a lot on the local college radio. Man this album is good. There is a 5 star review on this list that goes in depth into each song. Go read it, the author does a much better job than I could ever do. I'm just going to listen to this album a few more times then pull up more Dinosaur Jr and listen to them the rest of the day.

Ok

Could've sworn this was from the 00s with all that angst

Ha! Yay! So if I didn’t know and love this album for as long as I have, I know I wouldn’t be giving it a 5. But man, I LOVE this album. But it’s been in rotation for over 30 years! That’s a really long time to grow in appreciation for something that, honestly, if I heard cold for the first time, idk, a “song” like Don’t might force me into 3 territory for its sheer nosiness. But after years, when I have actually turned to that very track in moments of deep frustration? Yeah this album is a 5. Boolean: true

forever loud, fun and the heart of so much other music/bands i love

Walks into a Guitar Center...i wonder if we could put ALL of these in the mix. Dude, i gotta listen to more Dinosaur Jr. Even without being thier best, it's still so good - mix of wall of sound guitar, shredding solos, great indie, noise rock..all of it low-fi to the best way.

Sound and musicianship isn't very good. This is the sound of teenage angst and probably irrelevant for anyone beyond that age or who wasn't a teenager when Dinosaur Jr hit the scene. Noisy rock not far from contemporaries My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, but perhaps a bit more melodic. 2/5.

I wasn't exactly into it, but wasn't exactly hating it either. I was going with a solid 3 until "Don't" came on. Jebus tits. Sounded like horses in a barn fire. Kinda ruined the entire experience.

JL : 2, They Always Come or Don't, 2nd half had some jarring inclusions

This was a decent rock album which devolved into noise at the end.

This may not he my favourite album, but it sure as hell inspired a boatload of my favouritr artists. An important record, but which acted as a template for better records.

Do this band know what they are? Jingle-y guitar, metal guitar, bit of everything.

Better than I thought. I’m really impressed that this is from the 80s, but I’m not impressed by the singing. The songs themselves get me over into the 3 star category

This album is pretty good, I love this band and their sound. I don’t think this is their best work though. It’s just a solid underground rock record.

This almost sounds like 90’s music in spaces so props to hem for being cutting edge. That said, I didn’t find it that enjoyable. I did like the next couple random tracks Spotify rolled into when the album was over.

I was a pretty avid fan of these guys when this one was released. And I know the left of center just enough to be off key vocal delivery of J. Mascis kinda became their thing, it seems to fall extra flat on this release. I’ll give it an extra star since it checks all the boxes for influence of a lot of later bands, but it still isn’t as good as their next album Green Mind.

Some good parts but a lot of this is just tough to listen to. I was on the fence and then Don’t came on….ouch…I’m sure there are some art reasons but the guitars and the yelling just doesn’t work for me. I feel like an old man but this is just too much. And it goes on for like 5 minutes! And then the next song is a nice acoustic melody like nothing happened! Come on man. 2.25

This is acidly 2/3 but the track, Don’t, sealed it at a 2. I mean, keep that shit to no more than one minute. 5 mins is just mean! 2.5/5

Meh. Track 1 doesn't save it. Not enjoyable overall.

Dinosaur Jr is one of those bands that I've always liked the idea of more than the reality of. I like noisy, dissonant music and Bug fits that but there's just something about every Dinosaur Jr album that I like but don't love. Bug is one of those albums that I don't seek out to listen to but don't mind when it's on

Not bad but unmemorable

I just looked up what year this was released and you could knock me down with a feather. 1988?? This feels so distinctly early 2000s grunge rock to me. Anywho, I really liked the sound!

Well this doesn't have Feel The Pain on it (a truly great song that I think set me up to expect more from this). I guess as this was 4 albums earlier, this was naturally a bit rougher and maybe edgier. the songs were fun but certainly didn't grab me melodically (also J Mascis' voice sometimes left a little to be desired). The start of Freak Scene was great!

I like Dinosaur Jr. and I’m sure that in different moods I’d be into this but I’m not so that’s a shame!

I can definitely see the influence of the sound on alternative and indie rock through the 90s on, and I don’t think I’d mind if someone else put the album on to listen to it (I would absolutely insist on skipping the last song though, that is way past the wrong side of abrasive for me and way too long to boot). But ultimately, the particular sell of the noise and the vocals here isn’t for me, because I kept thinking “yeah, this is alright, it reminds me of something else I’d rather listen to that I like more as a whole package”. It’s not you, it’s me type complaints.

Oh hell yeah, this was one of the albums I was most curious about listening to from the beginning of this project. I already like Dinosaur Jr's more "recent" output like Farm and I Bet on Sky, and a few singles here and there (Like Feel the Pain from Without a Sound), so was curious what earlier Dinosaur Jr. sounded like. And the answer is less polished (And their more modern music is still lofi-ish) and more noisy, which I'm here for. Everything on this is great, from Freak Scene to They Always Come, to Let it Ride. Initial listen I was pretty much ready to give this a 5*, but think I'm settling into a 4*. I relistened to Farm after it, and I think I do prefer Farm (Which I would also give a 4*) even with it's more bluesy influences. Great album though.

64/100

Iha hyvää alt rokkia

Found this is a bit of a dirgy slog lacking any moments of joy. I have never really got Dinsosaur Jr - bought one of their albums at the height of grunge but ended up swapping it.

I get the Neil Young comparisons in vocals. But this just sounds like crappy American college rock. It's not fun, its not teenage angst, its just lo-fi, noisy meh. Yeah We Know is the only decent tune.

I enjoy Dinosaur Jr. enough but it's never something I actually reach for to put on. It's good though.

This album is much like others of its type, just was nothing special for me.

Not a single skip on this record, I loved every second. This album if full of killer riffs and vocals. My favourite song was “Yeah We Know” but songs like “Freak Scene” amongst many others were strong competition. Great fucking album.

Didn't quite hit the heights of You're Living All Over Me, which I first heard in this challenge, or Where You Been which I had back in the day. but they're a band that I'm increasingly enjoying

Yawn

Dinosaur Jr. have always been squarely in my wheelhouse - melodic, catchy, unpretentious late 80’s/early 90’s alt rock that incorporates a lot of the elements of classic rock - but have never been a favorite of mine. I like the singles pretty well but I’ve never gone out and bought one of their albums. Bug was totally fine until “Don’t” which sucked but didn’t come along until 90% of the way into the album. I liked Bug fine but it did not make me any more than a lukewarm fan of Dinosaur Jr., which I already was. Maybe they should have titled it “Shrug.”

Super cool! Feels like origins of alternative rock. Let It Ride for me, 4.5/5

Good for the first half, some nice early indie and then it just went off the deep end with constant screaming

Because when I need a friend, it's still you. A perfectly flawed masterpiece from J Mascis, Murph, and Lou Barlow. Slackadaisical vocal delivery, casual guitar genius, unfolding pop moments amidst heaps of noise. While Freak Scene may be seen as the scene-defining, scene stealer — effortlessly kicking off the album and putting the best qualities of the band on outward display — it's songs like They Always Come, Yeah We Know, Let it Ride, Budge and The Post that point the way for bands that come after and ensure this record outlasts many more. The level of pathos on Don't captures something my teen beating heart could immediately relate to. It's where the original album rightly stops — we don't need to Keep The Glove from the reissue. No Bones, a song I'm also endeared to, and Don't are among what some might call "the weaker ones" on the album! To know that this is Mascis' least favorite Dinosaur Jr album and to also know that it's not one of their best from an extensive catalogue, and it's Barlow's exit (until his return) *and yet* for it to still be so damn good can leave a person in awe of what was summoned in the moment by these wizards.

Half of this album blew me away and the other half made me feel like it was my band Paradox in 1995. I love lo-fi when it adds to the feeling of the album and hate it when I’m hearing something “greater” in my own head. Again, half and half. A sadly overlooked band. J Mascis rocks.

Spotify has been trying to get me to listen to Dinosaur Jr. for years, and I’ve been ignoring that effort for no good reason. So I’m excited about this one. After listening… I should’ve listened to them a while ago! There’s some really great stuff on here. I’m hearing some of my favorite bands in this album, with the lo-fi quality and slacker-y vocals. Though not every song is amazing. At its best, this album is exactly my kind of music. At its worst, it’s generic 90s indie rock… which I still like, it’s just a little forgettable. But the good stuff is still really, really good. That opening song is fantastic. And I liked “Don’t” too. I know it’s incomprehensible screaming and I get why people hate it. But that guitar was cool.

I usually love grunge and old-school indie, but I never really got into Dinosaur Jr. I think the only full album I heard before was "Where You Been" - which I kind of liked, but not enough to dive deeper into their discography. This one had a similar effect - it's pretty good overall, but it didn't really strike a chord with me. I was surprised by its modernity, though ; I wouldn't have guessed this was a 1988 album, it definitely sounds like something out of the mid-90s. The bittersweet proto-grunge vibe is way ahead of its time, although I probably prefered the more punkish sound of the B-side. I doubt I'll come back to it, but it was a pleasant listen overall. Doubtlessly a talented band. 6/10

Noisy, punky, and brilliantly written, it is one of the first true grunge albums, and with the Pixies, my favorite band of the 80s. I love the guitar sound and that laid-back, nasal vocal style that’s so characteristic of the band (except on the great noisy “Don’t”). It all brings a rare sense of vulnerability and softens their hardcore punk roots with just enough melancholy to make it really click for me. I also like the lack of proper introduction to the songs… it goes straight to the point. One of the best alternative rock band and they still hit hard until these days. 5/5 completely free of any bias :)

Eh, kind of reminded me of Filter but whiny.

So so so many 2 star albums in this list.

I agree with J Mascis that Bug is not one of Dinosaur Jr's best albums. I prefer You are Living All Over Me, as Bug seems more like noise-rock than their prior album. I do not know why this book put two Dinosaur Jr albums in this book and just happened to have them go back-to-back like this. I think Where You Been or Without a Sound would have been the second Dinosaur Jr album in this book instead. I did not enjoy this one particularly. It wasn't bad, but I found it's inclusion to be unnecessary in some ways. We heard their prior (superior) album, so why does Bug need to be in here as well? I could have died without hearing this specific Dinosaur Jr album and wish if there was an insistence to place two albums in this book it would have been one from the 90's. My favorite tracks: Freak Scene No Bones Let it Ride Budge

I like Dinosaur Jr. and they’re a very reliable band that you pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get from. However i don’t know exactly how often i’d come back to this one.

What can I say about this record, about this band? Probably, if forced to choose just one, my favourite band of all time. And this record captures so much of what makes them great. It isn’t my favourite album of theirs — I never loved their early, lo-fi noise/thrash tendencies as much as I love J’s knack for a perfect hook — but I can’t really say a bad word about it. Turn up my symphony!

this is kinda radiohead

Sicher sehr einflussreich und ganz gut

“Don’t” has to be one of the worst music listening experiences of my life man. Absolutely trash. Album actually starts off pretty strong, but it takes a very quick nose dive. The production is absolutely atrocious There is way too much treble, and whoever micd those high hats needs to be hung.

Grungy noise rock. I didn’t dislike it, but I think the production quality hasn’t aged well and it definitely gets in the way of what could otherwise be a really enjoyable album.

Weird one. First three tracks had me hooked, then completely lost my way with it - not sure if it was a bit repetitive or the quality just dropped. Probably bit of column A bit of column B. I heard this as kinda halfway between R.E.M (hate) and Pavement (love) so mid rating seems right. 6.5 / 10 Best track/s: they always come (sick guitar solo), freak scene, don’t nah only messing this one was shite

Hitting my weakness

I misread the year as 1998 and thought it was pretty generic for the time, then realized it was 1988. I can definitely see how this influenced music to come, but I didn't super care for it. 2.5 starts

Not grabbing me. DJR are ok but...

fave song: Let it Ride

Don't brought this album down a rating :(

o sea no es lo mío, pero tampoco creo que sea tan desastroso como dicen acá !! no lo sé ! para mí es un 2.5 pero acá queda como un 3/5.

You couldn’t find an album that sounds more ‘90s, except this was recorded in the ‘80s, which is the reason this foundational album is on the list. You have hear a lot of the Seattle Sound I here. They Always Come could have been a Nirvana song; Let It Ride sounds like Pearl Jam from vs; Pond Song could have been Soundgarden. The Post was definitely early Radiohead, showing how far their influence spread. It’s kind of funny because Grunge appeared and disappeared in 4 years. I sometimes forget it had roots. This was a fun album and very progressive post-post-punk-alternative for the day.

Random thoughts: * I liked this way better than Sonic Youth. While it was rocking and noisy it had better melodies and music. * “Don’t” was pretty crazy! But is a noisy good and repetitive way. It wasn’t my favorite song but I did like it. * The guitar playing is solid on this album. * This was proto-alternative before alternative became the thing in the 90s. I bet fans of 1988 Dinosaur Jr were pissed when alternative music went mainstream in 1991. * I liked this well enough but not sure I’ll be revisiting anytime soon.

This album grew on me. The use of melody interspersed throughout the dirty, grungy, fuzzy sound is really captivating and makes the music so much more interesting. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals at first but they fit the music so perfectly, and really add to the vibe.

Used to like this album more but still great - their earlier one is better though

fairly harmless, fairly uninspiring

will revisit this

4/10… noise rock / 80s indie / *1988

Noisy stoner rock that can absolutely infect your neck muscles and get them bobbing your head. Flirts that find line of garage junk and Picasso. Not saying every song is excellent, maybe some filler here and there, in the in between we strike some majesty.

Kinda sounds like nirvana. Not terrible!

Eh... Chaotic and not very interesting

I always don’t mind Dinousar Jr but never truly love them besides some select songs here and there. It’s cool just appreciating how many bands took their sound in this direction through the 90s. It sounds like you’re trapped in a tornado which is pretty cool. This is one I respect but don’t come back to regularly. Rating: 2.9

no real stand outs for me

01) Freak Scene - 7,0 02) No Bones - 6,0 03) They Always Come - 6,0 04) Yeah We Know - 6,5 05) Let It Ride - 6,0 06) Pond Song - 6,5 07) Budge - 6,0 08) The Post - 5,5 09) Don't - 3,0 TOTAL: 5,83 (58/100)

Just really solid, enjoyed it

2.2/5 Mediocre Garage band rock for most of it. Last two songs were horrible.

Not bad

Some nice proficient indie rock, I wanted more melody out of it but that's a personal problem. Highlights: "Yeah We Know", "Let It Ride"

Throwing a tantrum about why I don’t like you isn’t the way to make me like you. Some points for the guitar tone on all the other tracks though.

i didn’t give a shit about this honestly, have already forgotten about it

Ok, an album where the musicians and singer seems to play different songs. Maybe nice for a song of two, but the whole thing drags on. Sometimes there is some alignment, but those occassions are a few and afterwards I can't tell which song it was. One track stands out, the scream noise of "Don't". For that 3 out 5 stars

You know, a month is not a very long amount of time for an opinion to change. With that knowledge, it's no wonder that Dinosaur Jr. still appeals to me. That other album of theirs that I got about a month ago, You're Living All Over Me? Great album. Easy 8/10 for me. Now that I've heard its followup, Bug, I still feel rather positively about this band, though I do prefer that other album. Bug does have a fair amount of similarities to its predecessor. They were released less than a year apart. I'd be surprised if this album was drastically different from the other one. Fortunately, I enjoyed that album, so this one was also good. The guitar riffs are still great and the writing is thoughtful. The band seemed to have a bit of tension between the band members around this time, so the album's lyrics have a bit of a focus on that. I can respect that. The songs this time around aren't quite as great overall as the ones on You're Living All Over Me, though "Freak Scene" is definitely one of the band's best songs. This album also continues the trend of ending on weird songs, with this album's "Don't" being just as "not for me" as "Poledo" from the other album. Other than that, the album's a good time. I will say give "Don't" a piece of praise though, even if it is one that appeals to the rest of the album as well. This thing is pretty ahead of its time. This album almost feels like a precursor to grunge at times, Nirvana in particular. That's pretty cool. This album's pretty cool. Good band. Decent 4/5.

Loud and fun! 6/10

I've been told I don't like to rock out by several people so it's taken me awhile to get through several hard rocking albums. Dino Jr is a band that I actually like to rock out to when the situation calls for it. The songs move along pretty quickly and they don't take themselves too seriously. Hell yeah.

I don't think hard rock or noise rock is my thing

I really wanted to like this more than I did. There's some cool guitar fuzz stuff, and one track (Don't) stood out among the rest as something really raw and hard. I wanted more noise, more tension, more discomfort...less sunny jangle bullshit and less midtempo college radio bounce. "Yeah We Know" and "Let It Ride" were the other songs on here that I liked, too. But then there's Pond Song and it just all goes to shit. When they got noisy, I really liked it. Glad I listened to it, probably won't come back to it.

Don’t was the only track that stands out. Not because it’s so different from the rest of the album but because it was actually a good song. Everything else was boring and generic.

This was a pretty boring experience. A wall of fuzz does not an album make! Vocals felt like a parody of Sonic Youth. Another band that is better at making songs for mixtapes that for albums.

Loud and inconsistent, but it has great moments. I wish the whole album was as memorable as the first couple of songs. I guess Don’t is pretty memorable, but not for the best of reasons.

I saw them play in a small space in 92 or 93. (I think I owe some of my tinnitus to that show.) Back then, as now, my reaction was, “this is mildly interesting but I want it to stop.” This period of all solid state processing and amplification produced objectively shitty guitar sounds. The timid vocal warbling is irritating. And Sonic Youth did the wall-of-cacophony with SO much more musical substance. There are brief moments when this music is engaging; but too few of them. It just never amounts to something I want to listen to more of. And on that note - I'll allow that Dinosaur Jr. was interesting and beloved enough to warrant a place on the list. But, including two of their albums is preposterous; particularly in light of the amazing acts who aren’t represented at all.

Love a bit of Mr Mascis. Even his showing off with his guitar doesn't seem to annoy me as much as when other artists do it. Not quite as up there as Where You Been? but worth the entrance money alone for Freak Scene and Don't

Always liked Freak Show, can add Let It Ride from this listen. The rest not really my thing, a little too sludgy, although he is obviously a really good guitarist!

Genre = Noise Rock That about sums it up. Two of the tracks (Let it ride/Don’t) were so unlistenable I had to skip them. The kind of American indie that bores me to death. Unimaginative, and very repetitive. It’s a hard pass for me.

as somebody that's not really a drug enjoyer, Dinosaur Jr. is the only band that I've seen while Stoned on the Weeds. on that tour they played Bug in its entirety, with Henry Rollins interviewing the band as an opener. I had a bunch of Stoned Thoughts about J Mascis's guitar playing & his amp wall, along the lines of: it makes perfect sense to have the guitar that loud, but only if you're really stoned, because otherwise it's too loud & hurts your ears. anyway this band rocks. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

Absolutely rocks of course. Maybe not my favourite by them, even though my score probably suggests it is (I’m not gonna check but I think I gave them 4s before). This score means two things: they’re a 4.5 band overall, and also “Bug” is maybe the best possible album title so it gets a lil boost for that.

Really enjoyed this and will be back for more

Originally got this about 20 years ago the same day as I got the band’s previous album You’re Living All Over Me. That record blew me away while this one left me a little cold (“Freak Scene” notwithstanding). Now on revisit I have a new appreciation for the low-slung bass lines, the morphing rhythms and the absolute overwhelm of this record that verges on sludge metal. Some songs still feel a little overlong with melodies that don’t quite connect, but overall this is a really interesting development for Dinosaur Jr. in terms of song craft and texture.

Go larm!

Kæft noget larm (positivt)

Noisy AF!

Lotta influence. Too noisy

i like it, but in a way like "its ok, its cool" and not in a exceptionally excited way

Better for driving than trying to do work 🤣 quite liked it then, and it brought up some interesting bands afterwards... that I'm more likely to listen to again than this, but I did quite like it! Maybe it needs another chance.

Definitely not as good as Living All Over Me, there's still the alt rock 90s rawness, but it just washed over me this time and the out of tune lyrics eventually got annoying. Maybe a 2.5?

Bem meh

Never been a massive D-Jr fan - even though I grew up through the grunge era... Loved this though.

It was interesting to hear something from the 80s that reminded me of the sound I associate with the 90s.

Better than I thought it would be

4 out of 5. Great album!

Exhibit no. 347,012,966: why bad vocals can bring down an album. The instrumentation is seriously on point here... except for the singing. It's untrained, quavery, generally out-of-tune. The guy also sounds wholly unconvinced of what he's singing. Not exactly qualities you want for your frontman. Do better, J Mascis. Additionally, a lot of these songs sound extremely similar. Typically it's bands like Dinosaur Jr. that require a couple of front-to-back listens before you can recall (and anticipate) the hooks, and enjoy the album more as a result. But on a first listen? The tracks seem pretty indistinguishable. Except the song Don't. Which is noticeably worse than the rest. Freak Scene is a pretty solid opener. Great roaring energy, a nice punk-esque lead guitar tone, good jelling between bass and rhythm guitar, and a marketably positive atmosphere. Can't really go wrong there. Obviously the singing is bad (as per above), but fortunately the guy's not singing for much of the song's runtime. No Bones can be described in much the same way. A seriously driving energy that doesn't let up at all. Which, realistically, might be considered part of its downfall. In fact, I found myself searching for moments of silence, and the song Yeah We Know said "Yeah, we know", pausing somewhat on the relentless uptempo onslaught. I consider Budge a key track because it avoids the "bad singing" pitfall by adding another vocal line, an octave apart from the first. Octave harmonies are hit-or-miss, and I'm not exactly convinced here, but it's so much better than just the solo vocalist that I'm (comparatively) having a blast. This would almost be a 3-star record. Almost. But then Don't comes barging in, like a knock-off Endless, Nameless, destroying your eardrums and several of the nearest windows in the process. Stupid faux-death metal is stupid. What the heck is happening here? These albums are meant to be enjoyable, my guy. 2/5 Key tracks: Freak Scene, No Bones, Budge

Lovely noise - doesn't have my favourite Dinosaur Jr tracks, but well represents what they were all about as they grew less chaotic and more considered. The interplay between the three guys is tight and intuitive with Lou and J swapping between supporting each other and taking over the melodies across bass and guitar which is what I reckon most elevates their sound. Favourite tracks: No Bones, Budge

gibt mir komischerweise 2020 indie rock/ "grunge"/ midwest emo vibes... und es heißt sogar bug wie ein großteil der non binary teenager zu der zeit🤩 ist aber eigl aus den 80ern... gibt auch ein bisschen vibes von einer teenager band die sich sehr von verschiedenen künstlern inspirieren lässt, deswegen gibts mittendrin auch ein metal artiges lied??? aber ziemlich gut

kann mich nicht erinnern

Oh, they sound just like Ash. Not sure if that's a compliment yet, I liked Ash back in the day but I find them a bit whiny now. I didn't dig this. Too noisy for my taste.

Bug never sounded like a late-1980s album to me. I could easily have assumed it was recorded much later. Listening to it, I could hear many of the ideas that would later become part of the alternative rock and grunge sound. What stood out most was the contrast between the heavy, often almost metal-like guitar work and J Mascis’s seemingly indifferent vocals. It feels familiar now, but imagining this combination in 1988 made the album seem far ahead of its time. My favorite tracks were Yeah We Know, The Post, and Don’t. All three made it easy to hear a connection to Nirvana.

Honestly, given my enjoyment of raucous bands, and general appreciation of noise and chaos, I expected to like this more.

Alternative rock does not get much better than Dinosaur Jr. J Mascis vocals sit well with jangly distortion His talking languid style is interesting to listen to

Too much noise!!

pretty dang good i kept it in the background and i liked the sound

Sounds like they're trying to do the Sonic Youth/Pavement thing where they're trying to make their music sound like shit on purpose but J Mascis is too good of a guitar player to keep up the facade for too long. More frustrating than anything.

Another band that has been perpetually recommended to me by both man and machine. They were all correct; it turns out I do enjoy a lil Dinosaur Jr. and Bug was a great entry point. Now, I'll be the one recommending Dino Jr.

If you know Dinosaur Jr, you know they have one mode, and that was fully established in 1988 (!!) with this album. Their blend of noisy garage rock even feels like it influenced Nirvana to a degree. The album sounds much newer than it is, maybe because it’s so similar to their 90s output. That nose song at the end is sure to off put some but not enough to detract from the overall product. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is kind of a weird one. The front half of the album is all guitar and vocals. The bass finally emerges out of the wall of fuzz on track seven, but it's too little too late. (Perhaps Lou Barlow was better off getting fired?). Then they really lost me on the final track, which is very screamy. And coming in at almost six minutes— well, that is 15% of the album right there, out the window.

Listening to this was an absolute chore. I was thinking "Okay, so in some studio years and years ago, somebody must have said 'OK, this is the one, we'll use this vocal take' to each and every vocal we can still hear on this album. When really each and every vocal should have been redone, ideally by a different singer. Mark E Smith for all that I care." So I checked out who produced this album, because I wanted to know who that person okaying all these vocal takes was. Lo and behold. It was the singer himself.

Yum yum. These folks can really wail (complimentary). I saw them play at a summer festival a few years ago and they were great. Their set was about 80% guitar solo, but man oh man, what a great solo.

Hey yay to me for getting to see Dinosaur Jr. in a couple months!

I’ve always wanted to be more into Dinosaur Jr more than I am. This album didn’t sway me.

I was looking forward to this one because I like some other Dinosaur Jr. songs, but this just did not land for me. Too much of just noise; not enough distinct instruments for my taste.

la verdad que no me interesó, me aburrió.

this is basically the predecessor to modern midwest emo, the way I see it. honestly i'd rather just listen to todays midwest. it has that intentionally sloppy sound and its just meh. don't is a pretty sick track tho. 2/10

It's the 90's before the 90's even started. It's alright. It's doesn't really do anything their previous album, also on this list, doesn't already do. There are several cases like this here. Why add two identical albums by the same artist when more relevant artists should also have been represented? Key tracks: Freak Scene

ME gusta la distorsión, lo sucio. Bien bien.

Fuzzy as fuzzy can be. Noisy as noisy can be. The soaring leads soar. I love the garage-rock distortion and the high-school feelings of the lyrics. I don't mind in fact I love that the album seems like one song played relentlessly aggressively loudly. "Don't" rips the scab off of the rest of the songs.

Enjoyable in its sameyness. The first song is a goid’un but there was no variety. But sometimes that’s okay.

Yeah yeah lots of guitar. Some pretty cool riffs. I kept trying to hear the bass — was it just mixed too low? There's just something missing for me.

I owned this, and it was cool for a few months, and then I never got into it again. the first track is cool, but the rest is a lot of the same with diminishing results. Also, the production is pretty bad.

I’d like to spend more time with this album.

I think this album is great, but they are no Weezer.

one of my first time really connecting with a dino jr album!

This was awesome. Another one of those bands that I know well by name, but never really listened to. It had a nice raw-ness to it that I really enjoyed. 6/1/26

"Bug" es básicamente la segunda parte de "You're Living All Over Me"; con más ruido y más presupuesto. Sin embargo, a diferencia de su predecesor, y a pesar de haber salido solo 1 año después que el disco seminal de la banda fronteada por Mascis, este no se siente tan fresco, intenso y visceral. Probablemente (en mi opinión), porque las composiciones de este trabajo tienen un dejo a "restos"; lo cual si bien podría ser malo para cualquier otro LP, siguen siendo los restos de uno de los mejores discos alternativos de música estadounidense de la historia. Las melodías vocales no son tan potentes, y (aunque pareciera estúpido decirlo) las guitarras explosivas de Mascis ocupan demasiado en la mezcla, opacando el trabajo de los otros miembros de la banda. Creo que es un buen disco, y me gusta, pero personalmente en una lista donde se supone que deben encontrarse los "mejores 1001 álbumes de la historia", dos de Dinosaur Jr son demasiados; solo hay lugar para 1, y es "You're Living All Over Me". Pistas destacadas Freak Scene No Bones Yeah We Know Pond Song Budge Don't

Good Brief Good

Sara - 2 Marko - 2.5

Most of this was fine. Just don’t don’t. Awful song.

freak scen, budge, and dont are amazing.

moui bon

mieux que le précédent

Unpleasant

Very much my thing. But not perfect.

Pretty good, but this will be my only listen. ★★★

I don't know. I've not really been much of a fan of Dinosaur Jr other than Where You Been. And even then it's only ok. I am a fan of J Mascis' quest for guitar tone. Saw him in concert in the mid 00s. Loudest show I've ever seen by far. But damn did his tone sound great. This album? Meh...

Nice loud fuzzy headbath 3.5

bad grunge music for dorks Best Song: Freak Scene Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2

Pioneers of the alternative rock scene who get overlooked for obvious reasons. They deserve more credit, but they probably don’t want it. Great guitars, terrible singing.

I can’t believe this is from 1988. It sounds like it was made in a Brooklyn apartment or some teen’s suburban basement in 2008. Clearly a blueprint for a lot of modern indie rock and pop. “Don’t” is an obvious highlight and such an awesome song for multiple reasons, and also is evidently an early emo/screamo song with the combined irony and earnestness that the genre would embody.

At first I was thinking ok and then it tricked me and started the scream-o stuff. DNF album.

basic boring

Speed listening 20 seconds per track was all I could handle - Album is mostly just noise

joa, schon sehr aestethic aber nichts was mich umhaut. 2.6 sterne

Opening track is great! The rest was pretty good too, but nothing grabbed me quite as much as Freak Scene. Overall though, just sneaks into a four for me.

Not my music

Right up my street, let down a bit by the cheap production, I know that's part of the whole thing but I do find it harder to listen to

Enjoyed this. Kinda know what you’re gonna get with these but in a good way. Scuzzy, messy, indie rock. Clearly influential on the likes of Pixies, Deerhunter, maybe later Sonic Youth (or more likely the other way round). Either way, right up my street. Probably preferred You’re Living All Over Me, but this is still great and will be back

I really like dinosaur jrs sound, it's much more melodic than other bands of the time and must have been a big influence on ash, Weezer and the like. Like the previous album we had I just think the production is a bit too amateurish, by design I assume but Id prefer if everything sounded bigger. If not for this it could be a 5 but it really dampens things for me.

Impressive how they've made noise rock enjoyable. They Always Come, Yeah We Know, and Let It Ride were my favourites, a pretty amazing 3 song run. Really good, solid indie album.

Really enjoyed the previous dinosaur jr album we had so was looking forward to this. Could've sworn we've had more than 1 previous album of theirs. Nearly 3 and a half years ago we had that album! Started really well, but I did think it tailed off a bit towards the end. Still got that early grunge sound. Still good though. 3.5 but closer to 4.

Great rocking out album

Varies wildly between proto-90s alt-rock and noise/thrash metal. I tend to like it more when it's in the folk-rock/alt-rock space, with Freak Scene and Keep the Glove being my favorite of the tracks. I also generally enjoy the riffs, but I don't love the lead singer's voice or singing method in a lot of tracks. I kept going back-and-forth on this, but I think there's ultimately enough I enjoy to keep this at a respectable 3 stars.

Good but I think I've aged out of this type of angry, crunchy rock. I enjoyed listening to it but can't help but feel like I'm listening to the same stuff I was listening to in college. Sometimes it's time to move on.

This isn't bad. I dont love how the vocals sound and I think it is kinda poorly mixed. The guitar sounds incoherent at times. When it comes through it sounds good and there are good instrumental parts here, but it isn't great. Liked Songs: "Freak Scene" , "They Always Come" , "Yeah We Know" , "Let It Ride" , "Keep the Glove"

Overall Rating - 2.50/5 (5.00/10). Mostly decent for forgettable early grunge style alternative. A couple of songs were unpleasant.

Pretty loud and standard for them

Review - I'd been listening to Dinosaur Jr more recently and was about to go back to Bug, so this was a well timed choice. I've never quite got the hype on this album. I like Dino Jr, but this album (while having great high points) doesn't work for me. It's almost a bit too proggy at time? Some songs have long, intricate sections or outros that sap the energy out of what could be a great noisy rock song. Sometimes the pop elements are too deeply buried. Yes, Freak Scene and Let It Ride are great, but there's also Don't. This is still a good album, but you should listen to You're Living All Over Me instead. Score - 7/10 Need to listen? YES

Man, this is pretty good. First song really kicks it off in a fun and true rock way. This is what an album should be, not too long, no bad songs (one exception), with a common feeling or theme. Wonderful album. If it weren't for the awful "Don't," this would be a perfect 5. I'm still going to put 5, but it's really a 4.75. I will be listening to this a lot in the future.

Yes it's noisy and messy but I hear so many foundations of influence for 90s punk bands. Very akin to Nirvana in some places too.

beste J Mascis... als je er zelf geen zin in hebt, hoe wil je dan dat ik zin krijg om hier naar te luisteren... dit plaatje is slechts marginaal beter dan eender welke Coldplay

There is no possible reason to have an album that sounds this bad on the list. It's like at every possible decision, they chose the one that made the worse music.

Generic.

3,5

wow the lead singer of this band fucking SUCKS lmao

This album made me make music! It also changed how I saw bass as an instrument - crank it and listen to the bass playing literal chords! :)

"Don't" is a fantastic angst-symphony

This is my favorite Dinosaur jr album so far. This is also probably the heaviest I’ve heard them so far. I think I said in one of my reviews for the last album of their to come up that I don’t love the singers voice. Which is still true, he has a very whiny and monotone vocal delivery a good majority of the time, but on this album there’s also alittle more variety. There are songs on this album that are shockingly heavy, “don’t” specifically is probably the heaviest but I also think “budge” fits that description as well. The other songs I really liked were “freak scene” “yeah we know” and “the post”. I also really liked the opening guitar riff of pond song. There’s still a small disconnect for me with the band just because as a whole their music is alittle, for lack of a better term, whiny. But seriously this is probably my favorite album by them despite it not being a “no skip” album for me.

Started meh and just got worse until I turned it off. My first non-finish in my 1001 albums journey. I decided I don't have to listen to everything.

BALLER

Dinosaur Jr. Not extinct, but often stinks.

Bug represents a huge jump up in the quality of recording from their previous album. It is difficult for me to pick a favorite between the two though. Good news is they’re both killer with many more to come.

Not a whole lot going on here with this LP and group. Mostly noise. Although the lead singer has a nice soothing voice.

It started out ok, but it got really loud at the end. I didn’t like that. This is the second album I’ve had by this band and I don’t hate either of them. The other album was better though.

music is love

i feel traumatized by don't

A classical Dinosaur Jr. album mixing simple melody noise rock which is a prefiguration of what is to come. It's more approachable than Sonic Youth and yet sufficiently edgy / sloppy to trigger all the good signals in me. And as all thing Dinosaur Jr, I really like the vocals of J. Masics it has this laid back / "idgf how I sing" vibe which makes every song a statement to coolness (I recommend the cover of "Show me the way" for an excellent example). Favorite songs: Freak Scene

Wild!

look i don't wanna stir up controversy or willingly offend anyone but i must say it. J Mascis should be president.

3.3 2x walking on river walk Tampa to conference and back plus around there

I understand it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed this quite a lot. After having to listen to Radiohead again it is nice to hear something with some life and movement and colour to it. It's like a tapestry of noise. I only knew Dinosaur Jr. by reputation before now but I think I will be investigating further.

Half the album sounds like it accidentally time-traveled from 1993 and landed in 1988 wearing ripped jeans and emotional baggage. Then J Mascis starts shrieking like someone stepped on his favorite fuzz pedal, and the mood gets too complicated for me.

I bet this stood out more in its day. Today, it's fine - not great, not bad.

Ur-emo with very loud guitars. Often pretty melodic, but blisteringly noisy on "Don't". As Mascis went on with Dinosaur Jr. after this album without Barlow, they got slightly less noisy and less lo-fi, but still loud. A good record, but I like Without A Sound and Where You Been better.

Such an overrated band

♧◇♡♤☆

Entertaining album. Loved the noisier bits and the guitar tone generally. Vocals weren't great, but nothing out of the ordinary for the genre. 4.0/5.0: Great

never been a huge dinosaur jr fan but after this i might have to check out more of their stuff

This was fine.

Not quite as good as You’re living all over me, but still solid. I don’t always like the last track but the album is still a favorite!

War schlecht

don't don't abgesehen davon auch nichts besonderes, aber don't = maximale Lärmbelästigung (wahrscheinlich sogar mit Absicht).

Interessant, gar nicht schlecht teilweise

Nice

Saw these guys live once. People moshed. Saw a flipped car on my way home. Helluva night.

Very heavy, and yet jangly, indie rock. I can't believe this is from the 80s. You could've told me this is from 1996 and I would've believed you. J. Mascis's chord voicings are really interesting - and when I say that in an indie context I usually mean "dissonant," but here it's incredibly pleasant. My only issue with this is that on many of these songs, he actually tries to sing. And he can't. He needed someone else to take over vocal duties, I think. I want to give this a four, but I'll never put this record on again because of the weak vocals. THREE STARS

459/1089 - Sonic Youth if they were good at music.

3.5/5

Noisy and abrasive, with out of tune vocals.

It’s a Dino Jr album Loud and fuzzy and unapologetic for what it is.

Je sais pas si c'est parce que j'étais un peu préoccupé ce matin, mais cet album ne m'a rien dit du tout. En entendant le début, je me suis dit que ça allait être encore une espèce d'album complètement random et peut-être que mes préjugés m'ont empêché de vraiment apprécier l'album. En réalité, ce n'est qu'en arrivant à Don't que je me suis enfin réveillé. C'est un titre franchement glauque ou le chanteur hurle à plein poumon "Why don't you live me?" plusieurs fois et visiblement, cette chanson, elle a de l'historique. J'ai pas les détails, mais si j'ai bien compris, deux membres du groupe avait une relation assez trouble et c'est de là que viendrait cette chanson (mais hé, je dis ça en me basant sur un seul commentaire lu à l'arrache). Mais bon, je suppose que cet album n'est pas non plus vraiment mauvais ? Je vais mettre 3 parce que ça ne m'a pas inspiré plus que ça, mais ça s'est mieux passé que prévu, parce que je m'étais vraiment attendu à vouloir mettre un 2 au cours des premières chansons.

*1988. *This sounds like standard mid-90s alt rock (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Meat Puppets, The Replacements, etc) which is totally my jam. *Unmemorable, but generally enjoyable. *There was like 1 weird screamy song that came out of nowhere, but otherwise pretty chill. RATING - 7/10

It's ok. I just don't really get it though. What is it?

8/10 Dinosaur Jr. are a band that somehow manages to gather the noisy, cacophonous sonic oppression of Sonic Youth, tame it into something with a tad more musical separation and clarity, and then sprinkle it with the melodic sensibility of R.E.M.. For some, J Mascis’ vocal style will be a turn off, but for me it’s the perfect fit for the band’s music, in the same way that Thom Yorke would be a crap singer for Queen, but he’s the perfect one for Radiohead. He delivers a lazy, almost folksy drawl that imbues the music with a level of charm and earthiness that a more traditional singer wouldn’t be able to provide. It also helps the melodic work to settle more comfortably in with the tone and vibe of the rest of the music. Across this album, I found myself becoming more and more engaged with the deft blend of pop-music hook writing and art-rock noise, with the quality and intensity of the playing only helping to endear the work to me. You can definitely hear the influence that Dinosaur Jr. had on the grunge bands that emerged around this time, and there’s more than a hint of their sound in some of Nirvana’s output, with Kurt Cobain being a big fan of their work. There’s a good flow to this record too, with moments of almost-calm appearing here and there, and moments where the melodic focus takes more of a centre stage, while in others the relentless fiery drive takes over and the weight and force of the band come into full effect. The band are great musicians too, with shining moments from each member popping up in various places across the record, from the drumming in They Always Come to the guitar solos in Let It Ride and the pulsing bass in The Post. But they never overplay or push their performances ahead of the focus of the song. I do feel like there is a slight lull towards the end and the final song is definitely not an every day listen, but I did enjoy them bowing out with something that allowed them to unshackle themselves from the melodic constraints that they largely adhered to elsewhere and give us something with undeniable intensity. This one floats close to a 9 and will definitely be one to revisit and possibly reappraise the more I listen. Freak Scene - The lazy, conversational melodic style of J Mascis’ vocal lends a charming air to Dinosaur Jr.’s work, and the album kicks off well in that regard. Musically, it threads that needle between the almost jangle-pop and the proto-grunge sound, feeling grimy and DIY, but still maintaining a slight edge of pop music sensibility with the structural and melodic direction they take. A lovely little opener that’s got me in the mood for more. No Bones - This is a bit slower-paced and less melodically focused, but there’s still something about it that’s drawing me in. I think the blend of rhythms across the instruments are really engaging and there are some pretty cool riffs in there too. The descent into noise while the little melodic motifs carry on punching their way through the wash towards the end is pretty cool. It’s messy, but in an endearing and interesting way. They Always Come - I love the full band rhythmic stops they use here. The general groove is great anyway, but those stops give it extra punch and feel. This has ramped up the tempo again, and demonstrates some more flickers of those pop-melodic moments that I like. It’s a full and weighty sound, but again bridges a clattering, punky edge with something more harmonically complex and almost tender. It’s such a cool blend. And there’s some great drumming in this one too. Yeah We Know - Some of the riffs in here are top notch, as is the drumming. There’s a lot of feel to the way the band plays, which could easily be missed in amongst the washes of distortion, but I feel like the production presents everything with just the right amount of clarity to get that feel and nuance to shine through. The vocal melodies are subtle, but with the slightly brighter lead guitar parts give this a slight edge of airiness that’s pretty musically engaging. I don’t think they’ve really missed a beat so far, and this was another solid track. Let It Ride - God, this whips along so well. Loads of pace and drive, It’s incredibly insistent and forceful, but really tight. They manage to transition really well into sections that sonically differ, but never lose the momentum and intensity of the song. The vocal is great too; simple, but really effective. And then the guitar solos just give it an extra bit of spice to round things off. More quality stuff. Pond Song - We’re back to something more melodically focused here, but it’s still got great power and pace to it too. The band are super controlled again and it’s a brilliant blend of light and airy with gritty intensity. J Mascis just drifts over the top giving another great vocal performance that feels somehow earthy and ethereal at the same time, but in such an atypical way, it’s kind of hard to explain. The tempo drop half way through is so smoothly done, I had to skip back a couple of times to enjoy it. Budge - This album is a tiny bit relentless, but it’s still getting ahold of me. There are some great melodic moments across this and the general vibe is so impressive. It’s super noisy in places, but there’s also a great deal of clarity and definition that allows you to appreciate the composition, and it retains that slightly poppy edge to it that makes it approachable. The Post - This is a bit more swampy, and a little less focused, but there are still some good elements at play here. The throbbing bass is particularly cool and the noisy washes of guitar create an interesting sonic palette. It doesn’t manage to quite find the level of melodic engagement to raise it up to the level of the better tracks on the album, but it’s a decent album track nonetheless. Don't - You can definitely hear influence from this type of track in Nirvana’s more extreme experimentations. It’s a lot, certainly, but It’s quite a cool way to end the album, with the overlapping washes of feedback and noise all clashing together against the intense vocal. The different phases of the track also offer different sonic experiences, all equally aggressive and unapproachable. It’s destructively cool. Perhaps not an every day listen, mind.

Bug by Dinosaur Jr. is a mixed bag that leans heavily on its signature distorted guitar sound and the laid-back vocal style, but doesn’t fully capitalize on its strengths. While there are flashes of energy and melodic hooks, much of the record feels repetitive and lacks standout moments. The production and songwriting don’t evolve enough across the tracklist, which makes the album blur together over time. It’s not without charm, especially if you already like their sound, but overall it comes off as fairly average and somewhat forgettable. 5/10

"Noise rock". Without any rock. (It didn't help that I had a hangover today, but this isn't very good)

A relic of that alt/indie scene of the late 80s that is just so boring and bland. The noise elements add some flair but overall this is super forgettable. 2/5

#919. Like I said in my review for their other one, I know it's bad, but that's not going to stop me from liking it anyway. 4/5: great

an okay album until it just completely shoot's it's foot at the final mile. it's alt rock.

Having lots of loud guitar riffs doesn't make something good. There are decent moments, but the end of the album really buries everything decent about it.

OH MY GOD THIS WAS SOO GOOD!!!

OH COISA RUIM BARULHENTA

both the album title and artist's name makes me biased to give this a high rating. However, when listening through the album, I didn't enjoy it very much. It's a good indie rock album, with some good drum beats, but overall didn't find it very special. The lyrics are a little hard to decipher, so maybe they hold more value that I'm not attributing to this album. I consider it good background music, it holds that tricky balance of being interesting enough to not put me to sleep, bug generic enough to not take over all my attention. Maybe listening to it without doing anything else would affect my review, but I really don't have the time, and this is personal review so it's solely based on my opinion, so if you disagree, then you disagree and I'm not arguing about this.

Fun revisiting this, though I prefer their later, more melodic work, at least in part because they place the bass more prominently in the mix, which lets the low end provide a better foundation to hold the noise. That might make me a lame Dinousaur Jr fan. (I think it's held in high regard, so this isn't much of a hot take, but Farm is their pinnacle and the one I'd slot into this list.) Regardless, happy to let J Mascis blow out my speakers any day.

- I didn't really like this. - The sound quality is overbearing because it feels like a fuzzy block of sound.. - There's some good guitar work, throughout. - I dislike the vocals, too... I find them whiny, and they're out of tune. I just can't connect and feel charisma. - The album wasn't too long, but it still felt long to me. - I think it's probably a 1.5, and I did like it better than the Sebadoh album on this list. But, I'm rounding down because I'll never listen to this again, and I actively didn't like it a lot of the time. Also, I've seen them live and remember just feeling underwhelmed. This is leaving me with the same feeling.

5/10

Mostly good

Ugh 🪲

A light 6/10. I like the energy—the guitars and drums hit hard, and I’m into that old-school punk feel… but I just didn’t connect with this one.

This was great. I’d give it 9 out of 10 if I could.

Enjoyable indie rock outing from DJr. Freak Show is a big sound which sets the tone for the rest of the album. Good fun this one and hard to believe it's nearly 38 yrs old

It's a good album. I liked it. I bet if I listened to it as a youth it would have hit way harder, and it's an impressively forward-thinking sound for 1988. It predates those post-punk noisy guys who would come later, surprisingly - it feels tonally similar to something like Spiderland by Splint, or Pavement. It scrapes up to a four I think. Fav tracks: Freak Scene, No Bones, They Always Come, Don't

This is one of those in-between albums. It didn't quite fit in with college radio staples, hair metal, or progressive/new wave of the 80's. But it was also pre-grunge. Hard to see where these guys fit in. The singer was a little too Violent Femmes for my liking. The songwriting wasn't that creative and I lost interest after about two songs.

Very so so. Liked it more than not but I've never been too keen on the singer in DJR and that's no different here. Final track was kinda dope.

I was never a huge Dino Jr fan, I recognized the singers voice right away. I know some of their songs but can’t seem to place them in my head. Although I didn’t recognize this album it brought back memories of my youth

It was pretty run of the mill rock, until the wall of screaming metal in “Don’t”. Screaming is a personal turnoff for me. ( hence the one star Sepultura album rating). Then they follow that with a pop-ish song, almost in apology. Or in pandering… suffice it to say the last two songs felt like a departure from the rest in a very calculated let’s try to expand our marketing kind of way. Knocks it from a three to a 2.5 for me.

Well it’s an uneven affair to put it lightly. The cheapness and variation of production values doesn’t help. There are a couple of songs like “Don’t” that despite empathizing with the sentiment I don’t ever need to hear again. But for whatever reason I love Dinosaur Jr and J Mascis is one of my favorite guitar players. I can’t separate those feelings from this recording because I see all of the riffiness, the noisiness, the songwriting, the surprisingly modern and poetic lyrics, and the solo licks that mark the recordings I like more by them, such as singular Green Mind. For that potential, and because I don’t expect to see Green Mind on this list, I award this album one additional star.

I wasn’t sure what to do with this record. The songs all melt together into a mess of distorted guitars, and they all sounded the same. I was relieved when the album was over.

The further I got into it, the more upset I got that I had to keep listening to it. It's mostly just noise.

Kinda annoying. 2 is generous but its semi listenable

Good

I mean, yeah, this rocks, but it really made me want to listen to the early Smashing Pumpkins records instead…

- dinosaur sr when - similar sound to pavement which i like - this is another one where i was just a little bored the whole time. give me more funk please - favorites: freak scene - rating: 2/5

A legendary band and I think they're cool, but their songwriting has never quite hit for me across the board.

Well. That was...something! (And not something good!) Was this recorded in an underwater basement studio? The quality is so poor, I think it was. I'm taking a cue from the band and their song "Don't" which should've served as my warning; the first lyric is a strangled, yelled "WHYYYYYYY?" Exactly. Questioning "WHYYYYYYY?" this album made the list in the first place.

never heard yhis but enjoyed it would listen againn

si me gustoooooo...

Almost liked this, but I hate screamo

Not the worst, but nowhere near the best. I was happy when the last song finished.