Bug

Kinda vibed with this. I should give them more of a chance.

Straight sucks 1

Stressful and not my taste.

Wrote something that wasn't saved, basically saying this was meh.

Rosalega mikið basic amerískt late 80s rokk. Ekkert spes.

Pretty solid, sounds like pixies

Heard a lot about this band from the whole Seattle grunge scene but still haven’t listened to or really want to listen to them. Good on them though for putting themselves out there

This is something I would have listened to when it first came out. Today it doesn't do much for me, but its impact on 90s grunge is fully evident here. 3/5

"I'm so counter-culture that I'll make every song sound roughly the same!" The Album. I dunno, their peers are way better for similar themes.

Maybe I’m just getting old but this just sounded like a lot of noise to me. Open powerchords are fun but Yeesh throw a bit of variety on your record Dino Jr.

Interesting album.

Ehhh, wasn’t a fan of it.

I saw this come up and went “ew” to myself 😬I’ll give it another chance. Did not like Dinosaur 🦕 jr at the time (even though I was the exact audience for this). Be right back… Ok. I really like this one. It’s hard to get over the vocals but I think I am starting to understand the concept. The heaviness of the guitar, power trio factor, laissez faire attitude: tick tick tick. I’m in. Kind of a fan now. 😬

Noise is just not my thing, sorry, not sorry.

Ikke dårlig, ikke super bra. 3.5

Nothing new to say about this band from a couple weeks ago's review of You're Living All Over Me... kind of wore this sound out for myself in the 90s. The penultimate (and longest) track's descent into full screamo distortion cacophany tested the limits of my tolerance: the kind of thing that might be righteous in a live show but just grates blasting through the headphones.

Sounded alright for an early alternative rock/grunge album, but I didn’t bother to make it through

Still not my cup of tea

I found this album to be very average 90s rock, then learned it released in the late 80s, which made it seem cool and influential toward the guitar heavy era to come. Then “Don’t” came on and I really hated it. Just found this to overall be nothing special, and that one screamo song that came completely out of nowhere ruined any good well the album had for me. It may have influenced some of the 90s rock greats, but I’m glad they all learned to do it better.

Love it

Some of it excellent and some is dodgy

This is like proto-Pixies and proto-Pavement, two of my favorite bands ever. This isn't as fleshed out as the later 90s indie rock, but I love to hear this earlier take on the sound

noise music

I feel like I should like this more than I do. There are some definite highlights like Freak Scene and Pond Song, but overall I don't love the album. I think it's too sludgy and suffers from the same lo-fi production issues as a lot of 80s indie rock. I like Dinosaur Jr in general and J Mascis is a great guitarist, especially in a scene not necessarily known for musical chops, but I tend to prefer their 90s and later albums.

Great album, not quite as good as You're Living All Over Me though. I love the wall of distortion running through the whole album.

Badass. Hard. Nasty toward the end. But musically prescient and tasteful and a good time for all.

Not really my atyle

Heard this album a few times and it just does nothing for me. Standouts: None Not Bad: Freak Scene 2.5

great followup to you're living all over me which is one of my favorite albums of all time. freak scene is an indie classic. just can't go wrong with it.

Ok

Knew I’d like this album just from the cover art. Good stuff, adjacent to what I normally listen to. The vocals are a touch whiny. Favourite song Don’t.

Brani Preferiti: - "Yeah We Know" Note: Dopo un primo ascolto delle prima canzoni volevo tralasciare completamente l'ascolto di questo album, ho deciso però di riascoltarlo durante la calma notturna e grazie a ciò ho iniziato ad apprezzare leggermente la batteria. Il suono prodotto da questa band è interessante, sono però sicuro del fatto che non mi sarei perso niente se non avessi ascoltato questo album.

"Bug" is the third studio album by Massachusetts alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. Alternative rock, indie rock and indie rock are the named genres. It was the last album with bassist Lou Barlow until he came back to the band in 2007. Besides Barlow, other members of Dinosaur Jr. include lead singer/guitarist J Mascus and drummer Murph. The album received critical acclaim including a most interesting 8.9999999 rating out of 10 by NME. A melodic guitar and then bam! The bass and guitar kick in and they're soaring with "Freak Scene." The song ebbs and flows with soft and loud dynamics. Two monster guitar solos by Mascis harkening Neil Young meets Sonic Youth meets Bob Mould. You do hear a lot of monster solos throughout this album. Mascis' vocals define "slacker" rock. I think this is simply about two friends who don't want a romantic relationship since it will ruin their current friendship. "No Bones" features some real melodic bass by Barlow. This is slower but again speeds up in spots. Distorted guitar. "They Always Come" brings the punk. This fast and hard. Some more fantastic bass and drumming along with Mascis' distorted and feedback-riddled guitar. "Let It Ride" continues the fast and hard. You got to like the intensity these guys bring. And we get a bass solo along with a few guitar ones. They slow it up a bit on "Pond Song" and add an acoustic and layered guitars. Great drumming. The album ends with a wah-wah guitar going into "Don't." Barlow just screaming likes he's dying "Why Don't You Like Me" for five minutes. This song would not have been out of place on Hüsker Dü's "Zen Arcade." This was a big album for me when it came out. I used to just play the hard/fast songs which seemed to alternate throughout the album. I guess I've mellowed since I found a lot to like in the"so-called" slower songs. I don't know what I was listening to at the time to think those "other'" songs soft? Mascis guitar is just fantastic with his distortion, feedback and multiple solos within each song. One of the other things I realized on this listen was how good the bass and drumming is. This is a band. They need to be to keep up with Mascis. This album and music is connected to the prior music of Neil Young, Hüsker Dü, and Sonic Youth to what the future music would be in shoegaze and grunge. Yes, I like this album and so should you!

I had low expectations for Bug but it’s much less shoegazey and more grunge than I thought it would be. The Post is a stand out, here you can most hear the influence Dinosaur Jr had on the moody alt rock of the 90s. Don’t is terrifying closer. Pure screaming with the band fading in and out. 6.7/10

Dinosaur Jr. is listed as playing a significant role in bringing guitars back into indie rock. I can believe that. Budding indie rock musicians probably listened to their music and said to themselves 'Hey, the guitars here are pretty good but I bet we can make music that's MUCH better than whatever these guys are doing.' Nothing memorable about this at all.

This is like the store brand cereal equivalent of grunge. That being said it was surprisingly okay after listening to the first song but theres a lot of aged cringe. So it was decent, I'm never listening to this again.

Too whiney for my taste

Hell of a closer, huh? Can’t say they don’t have range. Dinosaur Jr. is able to easily pull off soft and intense styles that both sound unique to them and can be enjoyed. They are a quality and offensively underrated band. Not sure why they aren’t more popular. 4/5

like pretty basic and then the before last song was made heavy for like no reason

I liked this a lot. Haven't heard this album before, but I like it more than other Dinosaur Jr. stuff that I've heard before.

I liked this more than You're Living All Over Me. 3.75/5

I’ve always liked Dinosaur Jr., but despite having ingredients that I’d normally be all here for (basically Sonic Youth with crazier lead guitar), I’ve never really loved them. They’re a cool band who I can listen to a few songs or an album at a time but don’t feel compelled to own any of their stuff. This is some good stuff, but yeah, not something I can’t live without. B

Aikamoista meininkiä. Onhan tämä tällaista kunnianhimoisempaa grungea. Vitun villit soundit. 3/5

Kuten näiden edellinen levy, niin ymmärrän merkityksen ja tosi siisti meininki, mutta jotain tarttuvia koukkuja jäin kaipaamaan. Silti helppo 3.

Menevää kitarasurinaa, loppupuolella vähän meni kiinnostus. 3/5

Mittelmäßiger Alternative Rock. Klingt leider oft verwaschen.

I was hanging in there and vaguely interested until the aptly named "Don't" when I was asking myself Don't you want to turn this off? Don't you question why this is useful to anyone? Don't you want to not listen to this again?

Freak Scene was the anthem of my high school career and also is, by far, the best song on Bug. Budge is good too, but the rest of this album is trashy garbage. Why is this album even on here? Whatever's Cool with Me, Green Mind and even Where You Been are great. But DJr., is famous for releasing albums where most of it is garbage but there's a diamond or two hanging out on the top of the track list. Stop this album now and go listen to some Ear Bleeding Country.

Dinosaur Jr. is one of those alternative/indie bands who had their heyday in the late 80s, just a bit too early for a kid who's musical awakening was in the early 90s. They are a band I've heard much about since, but never taken the time to dig deeper than hearing an occasional song. But after listening to "Bug," I see the appeal, from pounding noise rock one moment to melodic breakdowns the next. J Mascis may have been the creative genius behind things, but bassist Lou Barlow encapsulated the band perfectly, saying that "we loved speed metal ... and we loved wimpy-jangly stuff." As for the penultimate track, "Don't," ... well, just don't. Almost killed a good vibe.

Man, "Don't" kill my vibe! I was digging this fossil of the early grunge/indie rock era...until they went and blew it with the song "Don't". One star deduction for that monstrosity of a song and making it the longest song on the album was just adding insult to injury.

Don’t…please don’t make me listen to this screaming over noise ever again. That is a zero star song. The album up until that point was OK. I don’t like J Mascis’s voice at all, which really held it back.

I really don't like the vocals. Whiny 90's alt rock. That said, the music is pretty good. Don't think I'd go back though

Intense album, really cool mood for me these days. I enjoy how the almbum progressively gets more and more weird, crazy, intense 4/5

Other than playing along to "Feel the Pain" in Rock Band (or was it Guitar Hero?), I've never listened to Dinosaur Jr. before. I figured there was a good chance that I'd like this album, but I only enjoyed about half the songs. I liked the guitar-forward sound, and the heavy distortion, but some of the songs felt like they weren't very distinct from one another. "Don't" was easily the lowest point for me on this album; I wasn't into the screaming at all. As lukewarm as I was on this album, I can appreciate how influential Dinosaur Jr. was on alternative rock. I can't imagine how different rock music in the nineties would have been without these guys paving the way.

Really nice riffy noise rock, what I wish Husker Du was.

Refreshing

Noisy, early alternative, this record is alright. It runs a little long and the last two tracks try to pull off a magic truck the band is not capable of. Overall this is alright but the same ness and the vocals are kind of a let down.

Between pavement and Nirvana, between lo-fi Blur and At the drive in. Great, tricky to see where it could be improved. Slightly odd to read that the band didn't really like it

Couldn't get into this. Rushed and raucous. Towards the close a hint of something calmer but it didn't last.

Some good parts

c'est rock

Love his guitar, less excited about the shoegaze slacker singing

Ambivalence abounds. 3.

So noisy for the sake of being noisy. The singer's voice is a bit grating

Very Ash. Or should that be that Ash are very Dinosaur Junior? 🤔 Didn't sound 80s. Fine until the screaming at the end

Ouach j’haïs ça

They sounded a lot like what Nirvana was on "Bleach". Makes sense, since Nirvana opened for them a bunch of times. The second to last song "Don't" just got annoying, though. But I probably would have said the same about Nirvana listening to it for the first time now. I remember seeing the "Without a Sound" album all over the place, so I was surprised that THAT is not on the list, but the first two albums are. I mean, I guess those 2 albums helped to make that alternative sound in the early 90s. But still...? Ultimately, the songs to me started to sound very much the same except for the last 2. I couldn't give you titles after a while and that's never a good thing about an album. The songs just didn't have anything that was like "whoa." Granted they were there first, but others did it well and (arguably) did it better.

I didn't really get Dinosaur Jr. when I was younger and they were making noise in the 90's. But I like them a lot better now. I still think J Mascis has flawed vocals that can be difficult to listen to sometimes, but he composes some solid songs. I don't think I have ever listened to this album or its only single, Freak Scene. But both are solid. I thought the first three songs (No Bones and They Always Come) really do a good job of introducing that new (at the time) alternative sound, with furious but not quite distorted guitar (and pounding drums) and odd time signatures. And even though the vocals leave something to be desired, the lyrics make you think. They were/are unique but I have a lot of respect for their sound now. And this album does that justice. I'd say Don't is the only song I didn't really enjoy, maybe should've kept Lou Barlow off vocals. Or maybe that's why I like the Barlow-led Sebadoh less.

Guitar driven indie rock. A bit screechy

Dinosaur Jr. feel like they're those guys who are secretly into the Grateful Dead, but also really like freaking out hippies when they get the chance. I love how this record shifts from psychedelic pop to pure, unabashed noise on a moment's notice. The tones on this thing are great as well. Favorite tracks: "Don't", "Badge", "Yeah We Know"

I still think they have better albums.

This was worse than that Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album, and that’s saying something. That album was so bad that it was comical, this one was just plain bad. I can’t believe multiple so-called music editors agreed this is a “must hear” album. Has anyone checked their hearing?

There's always room for two-fisted, brutish, antisocial noise rawk of this flavour. I generally approve, even if I'd not wish to subject my delicate ears to its tender ministrations too often. Wot a racket.

Well, alright.

whiny vocals! didnt enjoy

Still a great follow-up to *You're Living All Over Me*. It has the exact same earmarks as in that goundbreaking album: good songwriting, J Mascis's guitar solos and plaintive voice, layers and layers of high frequency noise and slacker-rock messiness... It just lacked the elements of surprise found in their 1987 breakthrough record. But "objectively", *Bug* was equally good. When it comes to other vintage Dinosaur Jr. LPs, you could also single out *Hand It Over*, *Green Mind* or *Where You Been*. And I'm fully aware that their later period--when Lou Barlow went back into the fold--is excellent as well... The thing is, you can't cram all those good records from *one* single band in, can you? Number of albums left to review: 514 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 232 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 112 (including *Bug* - and it's one of those rare cases where a 4/5 LP risks not making it to the list: I want to leave room for at least one other Dinosaur Jr. album apart from *You're Living All Over Me*, but the competition is fierce, I gotta say...) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 141

Pretty solid

Not my music

There’s no good reason for me to not already be a huge fan of this band.

Bug is not Dinosaur Jr.'s best, but it has all the hallmarks of the band that would influence 90s alternative and grunge. The overdriven guitars, driving drums, and forceful vocal delivery are all present, along with J Mascis's emphasis on the guitar solo. It's probably closer to a three, but due to the influence of this band and bridging classic and alternative rock, I think a four is in order.

Five stars all the way. It's unfair, I guess, because it's an album I've listened to at least five million times and I love every part of. I remember buying this when I was visiting family in Leeds and they had a Virgin Megastore. It's pretty much calibrated for one side of me. Loud but fragile, often feeling ready to fall apart. It's beautiful. I still skip that last song though!

Like the last Dinosaur Jr. album the list threw up, I find the overall style/sound agreeable, but it doesn't seem particularly memorable. If it came out 10 years later it certainly wouldn't warrant inclusion on the list, but was it remarkable in 1988? I don't know, though given it's not dissimilar to their 1987 album, probably not. Still, it's a decent album with a nice drawing of a bug on the front. I'll live and let live.

Loved Freak Scene when it came out, but was always disappointed when I listened to the whole album. Still the same today

A good alt-rock record. The songs on this are the good kind of sloppy, but I can’t help but feel I won’t remember this as well as other records of the same genre on the list. Actually, ‘Don’t’ is the most memorable song here because of how out of left field it is. I don’t know how to end this review, so I’ll just say that ‘Feel the Pain’ is the only song from them I knew beforehand and it’s way better than the songs on this.

I was digging that late 80's early 90's indie rock vibe... until Don't. WTF was that? 3.5

Alternated between being right up my alley and losing me completely—I do like a lot of the instrumentation, but I just find J Mascis as a singer to not be very engaging. I also found a lot of the attempts of being more “experimental” to feel like more lackluster versions of much better artists (specifically the track Don’t). Still some great tracks here, and it’s pretty engaging throughout—just nothing to write home about.

these dudes rock the fuck put and do indie grungey hard shit well. this has compelling riffs and guitar work. hell yeah old dudes.

C'est bon, ca représente bien sa période et je comprend l'attratit pour ce type de musique. C'est difficile de noter ce genre d'album inconnue pour moi quand il y en a beaucoup du meme genre dans cete liste. Celui-ci ce démarque un peu pour moi. C'est peut etre l'ambiance ou l'état d'esprit qu eje l'écvoute en ce moemnt. 3.75

So many people in this world can sing and yet here we are listening to these vocals. I know, I know, it’s a certain sound, but I can only listen to so many albums like that. ‘Don’t’ should have been an instrumental track.

Didn't really enjoy this.

Starts off well with that alt rock vibe and then slowly gets worse as the band drop tune for noise, singing for screeching. It’s kind to disappointing because the potential is all there and I am pretty sure I rated another of their albums four stars.

Scuzzy, lo-fi, but ok apart from the noisy and unmusical last track. 2 and half.

Meh. Didn't care for this one. 2/5

listened

More messy joy.

At an $oldJob my boss was a big Dinosaur Jr. fan and they always felt like a band I need to spend more time with. Well that feeling is still true today I didn't fully get into this album but I'm still intrigued enough to explore further. Fave tracks: Yeah We Know, and The Post.

Huh. Just like "You're Living All Over Me", this is messy raucous noise rock drenched in squalls of feedback. I like it just fine - but at a meta level, kinda annoyed the list gives us two Dinosaur Jr albums made a year apart that do basically the same thing. 🤷 Fave track - "The Pond Song", maybe, or "The Post"

Nah. Screetchy and winey.

Budge was ok. The rest was an affront to the concept of musicianship.

I like this album but I feel like J got way better in his next few albums. He's still developing as a songwriter here.

It's not bad but it's pretty unmemorable. I put it down a few times and when I came back I had no memory of where I was or what I'd listened to.

Please. We've been through this. Dino Jr AGAIN?

Very loud.

Grunge, noise-rock isn’t normally thing, but this album scored points with the guitar playing and how modern it sounds for being released in 1988 (I would’ve believed it was released in the early 00s). The vocals lost points. 3/5.

Bug is the third album by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. This popular indie/alt rock album has everything you love about noisy rock music. It's a favorite among fans of the band, but J Mascis - singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band - says it's his least favorite. Overall, this was a great folksy and punk sounding alternative rock album that the average listener should enjoy.

A bit too similar but a style that was copied later again and again. I respect this album for what it is in music history.

Grunge tendrils. 🦖 Vines? Roots? 🫡 Pretty cool given the time that it sounds so far ahead. Gritty and fun!

You can hear what inspired this and what was inspired by this and for that - I was interested

Another fun album from Dinosaur Jr. This one sounds ahead of its time in that it's pure 90s, despite coming out in 88. This reminded me a lot of early Flaming Lips (who I love), but I suppose that these guys pre-date them. Nice!

Ive never heard the whole album. It contains one of the greatest opening tracks ever: "Freak Scene" The rest is pretty good too.

Noise rock. Will need more time with it.

Pretty okay rock album. 3/5

One’s always preferred the later Dinosaur, though perhaps primarily because one knew it before this and other earlier efforts. And frankly this is sick good. It’s the template isn’t it: the sweet melodies within the blaze of destruction; the mix of ennui in the vocals and what can be taken for the rage of the guitar licks and lines.Considerable catchiness comes from the deft little stop-starts that are sprinkled throughout “They Always Come,” though the cathartic, melting release of the second half of the cut makes it considerably more than catchy – borderline moving and inspirational, in fact. “Yeah We Know” is driving and brooding in a typical sort of way … one hears simultaneously regret/melancholy and solace for same, on top of just guitar work that straight-up rips and bangs, while also showing delicate finesse. “Pond Song” and “Budge” are also great. One struggles to think of any vocalist who got more out of a worse voice (perhaps because there simply aren’t that many more with a worse voice though one’s always suspected JM of intentionally going off-key and breaking notes just because he could).”Don’t” is the only dog here, the only thing worse than metal maybe being metal mimicry; they might have taken the title’s advice or simply stopped sooner, even if the song-length solo is typical Mascisian excellence. “Keep the Glove” returns the sanity – if art noise can be said to be sane – and makes a fine close. This is close to their best record, it must be said, even after getting to know it quite late.

forerunner to Emo, with grunge undertones. Niche music.

A relatively uninspiring album. Felt like it didn’t know if it wanted to be alt rock or grunge. Either way the music felt a bit generic and lackluster. Not the worst thing I’ve listened to but didn’t enjoy it much. Could’ve used some editing. 4.7/10

Duh. No brainer

Buen disco de rock alternativo, con abundancia de guitarras un tanto pesadas, pero aun así el resultado final gusta. Canciones no muy conocidas, pero se puede escuchar

Listened to it already a while ago. Like this album.

Yep, Noise Rock.... Mostly I didn't care for it. I'm sure there is a place and time when and where I might actually enjoy it, but for the most part it just too difficult to listen to. Standout: Freak Scene 2.5

I liked their song Feel the Pain but could never get into their other stuff. Was hoping that 25 years later I would feel different but I don't.

4/10, nothing particularly notable about it. Don’t listen to “Don’t” it’s terrible.

Freak Scene and Don’t almost make this album worth it. But, still not sure why this is one of Dinosaur Jr’s most highly regarded albums…

More familiar with the later, Where You Been, which was a seminal CD for me in which I can remember when I first heard it, with who and the apartment we lived in at the time. Great music can take you back that way and keep it preserved there for eternity. Not sure that I had ever heard this one in its entirety but it is wonderful in the same way. I’ve always thought sometimes too much Dinosaur Jr. all at once is more than most people can handle. I’m sure in my consecutive plays if Where You Been, I could shut it down after two songs. DJr. can pack a lot into two songs.

I’m a Dinosaur Jr. fan, but don’t particularly love this album.

I like Dinosaur Jr., but this album just wasn't magic for me. I found it kind of annoying?

Liked it more than I thought I would

uuuoouu

Grunge before grunge

- Sick garage rock sound - Sounds very modern for an 80s record - Immaculate vibes - 4.5- rounded up yolo - Favorite songs: Budge, No Bones, Pond Song

- the guitar is the star of the show - perfect DIY, slightly whiny voice for the music - high quality grungy indie rock - really enjoyed the listen, would give it a 4.5 if I could

Pretty good noisy rock. Tracklist seemed pretty loosely ordered especially with the last two songs. Overall 7.5/10 (an extra .5 because of the cover)

This album was flirting with a 5 for me until Don't. Pure cacophony on that track. Otherwise really enjoyed it. Favorite track: Yeah We Know

So I saw Dinosaur Jr. on the early influences for Sonic Youth and I saw that Sonic Youth toured with them in their early days and the influence and links come across loud and clear. As such, I also do not enjoy this album just like I do not enjoy Sonic Youth sadly... The guitar is super impressive but either the sound is too heavy for me like on Don't or it's just too depressing and doesn't stand out to me like on most of the other tracks :-( I'm so sorry I can see why they're influential and why people love them, but it's really not for me. Nothing stands out apart from the raw emotion. It's just not in an easy way for me to process or tap into and it leaves me feeling mildly anxious and stressed. It's the opposite of uplifting for me. Maybe if I saw it live...?

Luke loves these and I'd heard a little. Thought this was great! Really enjoyed it

Quite liked it, didn't love it. I know the name but don't think I've ever had a proper listen. Was a bit repetitive but not bad

To me it seems like more noise rock like Sonic Youth but apparently they are not. Not sure what the difference is. There’s something to appreciate in noise rock. Unusual song structure, a wall of sound that drowns you. On an intellectual level I think it’s pretty cool but I just can’t connect with it emotionally. Feels a bit calculated, eschewing conventional rules just because you want to rebel. I guess it’s a teenage instinct that I don’t relate to anymore. The texture of noise is actually quite nice and visceral. Unfortunately the whiny mopey lead vocals don’t really do it for me and it takes away from the experience. Most of the album feels like a blur of noise but the stand out song for me it’s Don’t. I couldn’t help comparing it with Nirvana’a Territorial Pissings but much more raw and cathartic (which is an awesome thing).

Yet another case of alright sound and shit vocals. Sounds like your standard 90s alternative/grunge but the dudes voice just sucks and only gets worse with the low point being that dumb song that just starts out with screaming.

Could be good but sounds like it was recorded through 2 tin cans and some string

Eh. Didn't like the singer's style much or the way the vocals were mixed into the wall of guitar sounds. Not offensive, not my jams. The album review felt like I was already supposed to worship these artists, so that didn't help.

This album is labeled as noise rock and yeah, it is indeed that. The grungy sounding tracks were somewhat enjoyable, yet it is not enough for it to be a 'good' album.

Wasn't expecting much from this, though obviously knew Freak Scene is a banger. I can see why many recoil from his vocals - because he can't actually hold a tune. Weirdly though I didn't mind. It was some pretty good rock and roll indie from the time when guitars ruled the world and for 35 minutes of pure noise enjoyment it was pretty good. Singer aside it was quite tuneful too. Obviously apart from the last track, Don't. Which was a load of noise.

Inconsistant, but a few crazy tracks make it a special album.

This is weird because a lot of modern alternative (and punk in the case of Don’t) sounds a lot like this, but of course this is from the 80’s so it feels like an early swing at the sounds that would run those genres going into the 90’s/00’s. For that reason it is perhaps on the tame side of those sounds but still very listenable and good.

Appalling dirge.

Very average album No song really just out Sounds like a cheesy school band trying to sound "different"

3.5

Interessante , rockzinho

one song is just screaming, come onnnnnnnn

aight

Nice & chill background listen

Just not vining with it, but not bad

My jam right until the end

quite boring

Muy chulo

A large part of the album is just noise.

This was a bit weird but I enjoyed it.

"Freak Scene" started this album fairly positively for me, but then the rest never gave me anything else I could say I liked or found interesting. This was mostly grating, unpleasant, and not in any sort of novel way. By the time "Don't" came up, I was done. Ouch! My ears! Five minutes of screaming the same thing over and over at me. And that, I'm sorry to say, is why I don't like you.

Why?

I was ready to write the whole thing off as not really my thing based on the first couple of tracks but found myself really enjoying They Always Come, Yeah We Know, and Let It Ride. Still not really my thing but not terrible.

This album has some catchy tunes with that alt-80s vibe. I liked it ok until the last half or so. Sort of started to feel like a slog.

It's ok, bit loud for louds sake. Remember it first time round but never struck a chord then, still doesn't.

Dinosaur Jr. never miss. Solid slice of early alt-rock that foreshadows many later trends

Basically felt like I was listening to ioe long grungey mildy interesting but not outstanding song for a whole album. 3/5

Rock alternativo, así como indie. Ni fu ni fa.

Muy chulo.

So happy to see my favorite Dino Jr. album popping up here… just love this album and them as a whole.

And yet another grunty American garage band who smash the cymbals and a couple of power chord strikes of the axe... and its all blah blah blah shite, the same as the rest of the 15yr olds in mom's garage. Really can't stand this dung.

Ok so first thing’s first. I’m writing this review full of pizza and Prosecco so I’m not of sound mind (the Prosecco wasn’t actually technically Prosecco, but I’ll let them off). Anyway, for some reason I always thought Dinosaur Jr and Dinosaur Pile-Up were the same band. Obviously, I was wrong. This can be blamed on the fact that I’m an idiot. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: No Bones Alright so this music was pretty good. the singer is a little bit whiny so he could probably do with a bit of pizza and Prosecco to be honest. The sound of the music is fun though. I think the rest of the band were probably having fun even if the singer was a little bit sad. I liked this album, but I’m not exactly feeling like I’ve missed anything by not hearing it before today. Hello mum, if you’re reading this.

Van ser de les bandes que millor van predir, o modelar, el que havia de ser la revolució rock que sobrevindria als '90s. Juntament amb bandes com Pixies, Jane's Addiction o Sonic Youth, es van avançar a la seva época i des dels '80s ja creaven les bases de tot el que hauria de venir. Aquí encara abusen del soroll, emborronament de guitarres que fan de temes com 'Don't' simplement un acumulament d'acoblaments més aviat insoportable. Però també hi ha temes com 'Freak Scene', 'Pond Song' o 'They Always Come', que mereixen el seu lloc a la història del rock alternatiu dels '80s

Loved this album. Nothing but huge fuzzy riff after huge fuzzy riff. I also knew Dino Jr were “good” but totally slept on them. Bug kills it!

i do love dino jr, but cant say this is a 5 star album. there are other bands of their ilk with catchier more memorable songs, and bands with noisier more chaotic guitar. i personally prefer their post 2007 comeback albums over their earlier stuff.

Was actually a little surprised when this came up as I always thought of You’re Living All Over Me and Green Mind as the classics in the Dino Jr. catalogue. This album is also strong, but does tail off towards the end, especially the somewhat unlistenable track Don’t. Still, this holds up very well and barely sounds aged at all considering it came out 35 years ago. This is borderline 3/4 for me, I think if I spin again I’d get to a 4, but 3 for now.

Yea this album rocks 🤙🏾!

Chaotic

Great album of a band who brought the lead guitar back to the indie rock forefront, alongside The Pixies

Un autre album de Dinosaur Jr dont j'ai été agréablement surpris. Ce groupe est vraiment solide et était vraiment un pilier de la scène alternative.

This felt a little bit like grunge before grunge I thought it was fine.

It was fine, early indie alternative IMO

I like rock and sub genres but this album is not my style. Dinosaur’s Jr. voice though I find very interesting.

Feels like generic radio rock to me. Nothing I enjoy in there, I did not finish the album.

Why do bands that can play insist on using people who can't sing. The music is OK, not great, but tolerable post punk/alternative rock. The singing is dreadful. Change the vocalist and maybe it gets 3 stars. As it is it gets 1

Pretty good.It’s what I hoped sonic youth and all those other noise rock bands I’ve listened to would sound like.You know noisy but melodic

It's a good album. I could probably listen to it again. Lots of energy.

Pretty interesting. Not everything is very approachable... much of the time, both lyrics and music feel pretty noisy/messy... not really a clear melody with background falling into the background and the aggressive music takes over. It has it's hard noise element that reminds me of the Pixies. Still, a worthwhile listen.

very grungy and dirty the first couple songs are cool but the later ones go off the deep end

The first tracks were ok, then it was a bit annoying

It was all going so well until 'Don't', suddenly turning a pleasing rock album into a screech.. anyway apart from that it's pleasant and almost melodic.

The album had potential as a pop punk album. The guitar parts are melodic and go well with the intended vocals. However, the lack of a proper singer took away immensely from the songwriting potential and leaves you ultimately unimpressed with a forgettable listen.

Surprisingly enjoyable alternative rock album with lots of influences. Little bit classic rock here, little bit pop here, little bit punk or metal here. Bonus points for the catchy harmonies

"Don't " was fucking awful. The rest was ok.

This is fine. It's a forgettable album. It's also considered avant-noise rock? It's certainly a messier version of rock than I like. Nothing here to get excited about.

One of better US guitarbands with Freak Show and Don't as best songs. 4 stars easily

Love this record. Love this band. J Mascis is maybe my favorite guitar player of all time. I mentioned the shared cross-section between grunge and shoegaze when we did Siamese Dream. Well Dino Jr is another band that fits into that hole. But they do it whilst maintaining a sound so entirely unique to them as to not really fit into either scene. I LOVE the sound this band achieves. I love their explorations in sound and distortion and fuzz. Such a powerful sound for a weirdo, three-piece band. And they achieve some wonderful melodies to boot. And fun explorations with time too. Seeing them play live is incredibly wonderful and impressive. Still the loudest concert I've ever been to and more amazing still that it’s just 3 guys making all that sound. Gonna give this one a 4. I assume we'll be doing their debut effort You're Living All Over Me and want to save the 5 for that. This is a great follow up. But doesn't necessarily do anything that first album doesn't. Although it is tighter, more conventional, and more melodic than that first album, which contributes to the band's success. But it’s not too significant an evolution and I prefer the purity of those initial experiments in sound from the Amherst band. Perhaps, Mascis was a bit green as producer here? He's produced every album since himself and done some amazing work but Wharton Tiers produced that first album which might have given its tone a bit more depth, idk. In any event this is still a very good record and important for breaking an all-time band to the college rock world.

I wasn't able to give this album the listen it deserves. My impressions are that this reminds me a ton of garage rock bands from my hometown in MA, and sure enough, they're from Amherst! It's really endearing. But I have to dock points for the mixes! Some of the recording and mixing on these records (especially the first few ones) are so, so bad! And not bad in an endearing kind of way... they just feel pulled right off the board, or like they were referenced in a really bad room. So I'm feeling a safe 3. I'll definitely return to this, and it feels buzzy and creative, reminds me of my hometown. But could be so much more listenable.

I didn't finish. Don't know, kind of generic.

not for me

Really surprised when I saw this came out in 88. Definitely sounds ahead of it's time. Like late 90s maybe. Most was good, but man those last 2 songs were so painful I gotta knock a star off

Ik vind punk-rock leuk. Het mag van mij iets sneller en energieker, maar deze is prima te luisteren. ***

Awesome album to listen to. Dino Jr is a favourite band of mine. No one sounds like them.

Great noise/alternative rock. Do I hear a bit of early emo/pop punk on here?

My first exposure to this album was seeing Dinosaur Jr. perform it live at the Ally Pally in 2011. That night they rocked quite hard in a grumpy kind of way. It turns out is an accurate representation of this record. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Freak Scene Date listened: 23/11/22

Indie bem executado, até apresenta uma faixa pesada.

This album is ok. I really like the guitar and drums and overall sound of the band, but the singing just ruins it for me. Some songs his singing works and I enjoy them, but for the majority of the songs I didn't like it. Favorite song: Yeah We Know Worst song: Don't

Noisy

Well Rock n Roll will never die

Not very interesting

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say, “It’s not for me, but if you enjoy this kind of thing then you’ll love this album.” Only problem is I’m the sort of person who enjoys this kind of thing, and I really did not like this record. It’s punchy, riffy noise-rock, but it just sounds so anaemic to me. The songs themselves are all so average that they don’t really rise above a bad Husker Dü B-side with a noodling solo from J Mascis in the middle. I can see why this record deserves to be on the list. It’s an interesting approach for 1988, but this record has not aged well. “Pond Song” was good though. That’s about it for me.

i found little remarkable about this album. i do believe it was early on the alternative scene, so its inclusion is notable. but nothing stands out to me. well that’s not necessarily the whole truth. “don’t” stood out because it’s one of the worst songs i have ever heard. screaming nonsense that hurt my ears and i have no remorse for my rating.

This may very well be the best representation of 'noise rock' that we have had on this project thus far; it very often seemed to be exactly that: noise. There were moments where I liked this, but the noise factor got old pretty quickly. I didn't even mind that the singer was kind of incoherent in that quintessential 90s alternative way; the problem was that it was SO mumbly that the music was drowning it out, anyway. And when he wasn't mumbly, he was discordant and unappealing. Overall, an interesting precursor to what would become 90s alternative rock, but I was pretty indifferent on this album. Saving the worst for last, special shout out to "Don't", the most noisy and awful song on the album. I almost gave the album a 1 for this song alone.

It's just boring. There's nothing here that stands out or makes a case for its inclusion in the list. Just... meh.

I enjoyed this, and I do like Dinosaur Jr. - but do we need two albums from them? I think one was enough.

This is seems like grungy angst to me. It's amusing that someone who can't sing on key is the lead singer of a relatively popular band but that's probably the point. If I was asked to guess the year that this came out, I would have guessed early 90s, so this might be a bit ahead of the curve. but more likely I just don't know what I'm talking about. eat me.

Forgettable, I like the previous album. This on was just fine.

9/10 I’m a fan of indie and hard rock this was a nice fun album almost sounded like a pre-90s grunge

Some of the albums on this list make me wonder if the author of the list has functioning ear holes. Track #9 was the worst screamo bullshit I’ve ever heard. Why don’t you like me? Why? Screamed over and over again at the listener for 5:32 I think the listener should be asking Dinosaur Jr that exact question. Fuck this album, it was mediocre at best, until track #9 set the whole dumpster on fire. I wish I could give less than 1 star.

When Dinosaur Jr. works, it works so well. On 'No Bones' and 'The Post', the desperation in Mascis' vocals just connects with me somehow. Other times Mascis' singing gets very very very off-tune ('Let It Ride', 'Pond Song'), but it somehow never truly falls in on itself, and the distorted guitar and bass accompanies the rough vocals perfectly. But, I am really not a fan of the NU-metal-ish guitar sound on 'Yeah We Know' and 'Don't' simply becomes too lo-fi and noisy for me, making it impossible for me to enjoy (despise Murph's excellent smashing behind the drums). Had to give my ears a break after this one.

Few bands hit me in quite the same way as Dinosaur Jr. As noisy, screeching and hysterical as it may be - the amazingly tumultuous “Don’t” being the prime example - there’s always raw emotions and a feeling of honesty hiding just beneath the surface; most often in the form of Mascis’ delicate and bare vocal and brutally beautiful guitar. While I love their older material there’s a special vibe about their post-reunion albums that isn’t quite present here. Maybe it’s because they matured along the way or maybe it’s the heavier focus on their punk aesthetic on the early records? I nevertheless enjoy the ride every bit of the way!

I used to be heavy into grunge rock but most of it has dated poorly

S’alright inni?

1001 albums I "must" hear? Fuck me, what is this shit? Why "must" I hear this? Is it historical? Is it significant? Was it groundbreaking?

Seems kind of ahead of it's time, very grunge. I think I would like it more if I was in the mood for it, but now I'm trying to work

Very much carried by the opening track but not a bad album

I'm into the grittiness, but it got repetitive. And rough vocals.

Mostly really liked this but they lost me with Don't. It was too much.

Big drones. Boring shit. Hated this

Definitely worth a revisit. Not my fav DJ album, but great.

Tough to get through. Not terrible. Just not for me.

Run of the mill grunge

Ugh, is this out of time and out of tune? Horrible noise.

Ok, well “Don’t” scared the shit out of me. The rest was a cool fuzzy rocking groove.

While listening to the first few songs on the album, my expectations weren't very high. I thought that maybe it just wasn't for me and considered skipping the album altogether. I'm glad I did keep going because after Yeah We Know, I liked some of the rest better. However, the songs still felt quite repetitive to me, even if I ended up not minding a few of them. I'd be interested to hear some of their other stuff to see if I'd like it more. The songs I liked a bit better than the rest: Yeah We Know, Let It Ride, Don't

Didn't like this one, very noisy and not for me rn. The vocalist is not really doing it for me musically.

One of the more notable ”slacker rock” bands. Although, with guitar playing such as this you could hardly call them slackers

Buggg

blir litt mykje

Nja

Watch the movie Singles this week, so I was definitely in the mood for some Grunge

This is definitely good musically but the vocal delivery bothers me and most of the songs don't catch me quite enough to make up for it. Definitely not one I'll be going back to any time soon.

Dinosaur Jr. is a band that supposedly inspired and influenced plenty of 90s groups and genres, including grunge and Nirvana, shoegaze and My Bloody Valentine, or just alt rock with Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead as the most known ones. Dinosaur albums, including "Bug", are regarded as well before its time and revolutionary to the genres mentioned above. But how does it sound now, after around 40 years? Does the music defend itself on its own? The answer is no. The album itself was very uneventful. You could hear the specific droning sound in guitars and vocal, but the songs just slowly blend into one long noisy background sound. I feel like this might be a prime example of band doing something innovative just for the sake of it, without any flesh or substance behind. Just when I thought the whole album will be just yesterday's fever dream, last song came in with a breath of fresh air. "Don't" has an aggressive vocal, more prominent guitars and it instantly wakes you up from the self-induced coma we suffered from the rest of the album. In fact, that last song actually brings down the rest of the record, because it shows how good the album could sound. With all those predicaments taken into account, I can definitely say the album didn't stand test of time well.

"Don't" was actually pretty interesting compared to the rest of the album. The only song I liked. You can hear the influence Dinosaur Jr. had on grunge bands that came after

Terrible

Some songs are pretty decent. Others are just noise. This is not a great album.

Still not feeling rock from this era, the kind of muffled sign. The singer also struggles a bit.

Okay

3.8

rock basico

reminds me of my childhood. 90's grunge, Nirvana and Fugazi. I love how sounds take me back. It's also amazing how the 90's created the space for average singers to excel in the grunge space.

J Mascis did a good job on this one. Definitely a classic indie record, and for good reason. Favorite track: They Always Come.

As is with most rock albums, I can appreciate the guitar work more than anything else. The production is a bit too noisy for my taste, and the vocals are whiny to my ear (as is the case with much alternative-indie rock). I appreciated the heavier and more melodic moments, but they were too far and few between. The second listening was better than my first, but I still don't see myself returning to this album.

Sorry, this is just not for me. Noise rock? I really tried and "Freak Scene" was not bad but "Don't" was, well, not good.

They all blended together

"No bones" is right, muddy song-bodies sprawled out with heads stuck to them which are momentarily excellent. The opening fifteen seconds are the fleshiest example. Cover's the best part. Bugs don't have any bones.

Actually started out extremely song before heading off a cliff towards the end. Those first three songs are bangers, and it's almost like the band felt that was all the album needed. Not for nothing, but the band's name bothers the shit out of me. So does the lead singer.

Shorter album under forty minutes. I'm a fan of Dinosaur Jr. but this isn't my favorite album of theirs. Still enjoyable just not their best imo.

This is around the time the 80s stopped being fun. The whole album is a forebearer to the Grunge movement, but worse. The singing here is atrocious, and the music hardly is any better. Good compositions are nowhere to be found. 1.5/5

It was fine and I mostly forgot it was playing in the background and then "Don't" came on. Lost a star for that alone.

“Bug” is a great title for this album

Way cooler than the last Dinosuar Jr we saw. Feels cool alt rock / punk with some nice growls. I can dig it.

Well this isn’t the band I thought it would be… The album opens with freak scene, its a well written well performed song with mid level vocals. Something I like but doesn’t scream must listen. It slows down a bit with the sludgier no bones, it all feels just very home done it’s a good sonic but the production ruins it and unlike bands like the white stripes this doesn’t feel intentional. They always come feels like dinosaur jr are going pop punk I love it honestly, fine some tweaks could be made to their production and singing but it’s well written and well performed so what do you want. Yeah you know what I am going to say for yeah I know. Let it ride feels like the point a fun yet messy album gets boring; the other raw American bands like nirvana, pixies and the white stripes have much more charm than this band being able to stretch their talents throughout a whole album but this band doesn’t seem like they can. Pond song is a nice enough change with the acoustic guitars being used more frequently making a fast paced but dreamier track. But it’s just another poor sounding song put into this machine of an album. I don’t like the use of multiple singers at the chorus of Budge it just doesn’t work for a band like this. The post reminds me of songs just like talking heads the overload and joy division’s I remember nothing for the verses ( so just morbidly depressed sounding) but the chorus is just generic dinosaur jr so I don’t know that I like this much. I love the attempt to make an interesting noise in the scarily heavy don’t but I hate it it’s near unlistenable revolution 9 tier. The album closes on keep the glove an actually rather happy acoustic note yeah this is the album’s best song! This is like a bug more specifically a lingering fly it’s a short thing that won’t go away getting progressively more annoying as it goes along. But I can’t hate them animals you know!

Još jedan album bez kojeg je nemoguće zamislit devedesete. Skoro bolji od youre living all over me

freak scene go hard

Enjoyed this one though some of the tracks later on were a bit iffy. Cool bridge between 80s and grunge.

Very noisy. Not much more to say. It wasn't horrendous but I definitely didn't enjoy it.

Ja, lekker!

Hoewel er een aantal geweldige Dinosaur Jr platen bestaan, heb ik toch grote moeite met deze bak ruis en herrie. Misschien dat ik op een andere dag meer sterren over zou hebben, maar gisteren kwam ik er niet doorheen.

Ze zullen vast van grote invloed zijn geweest op de grunge opkomst, maar ik vind het allemaal behoorlijk rommelig en die stem van J. Mascis is echt niet om aan te horen.

Zeker niet m'n favoriete Dinosaur Jr. album - de beste kwamen een aantal jaar later. En deze is eigenlijk qua productie wel een best taaie dobber. Omdat ik ten tijde van de latere jaren 90 albums vond dat ik het oude werk ook moest checken, heb ik deze plaat al best vaak gehoord. En ik kon het ook nu nog zeker wel waarderen. Maar ook wel een beetje een bijsmaakje....

Twee keer geprobeerd, twee keer boos van geworden na een nummer of vier.

Grungy as

Slightly heart over head rating this, but I really enjoyed it.

I think this is a solid followup to their earlier masterpiece; it still delivers that amazing sound, even if it doesn't reach quite the heights of You're Living All Over Me.

Good noise. The album art here really captures the aesthetic of the album well.

I do find this grunge genre really dreary. I think Nirvana worked because they used the Pixies blueprint. I feel no love for this. Its fast frantic and unmemorable. I don't actively hate it it just leaves me empty. Not much else to say.

Rating: 6/10

Don't was a bit much for me. Overall the album was ok.

Didn’t enjoy the singing at all, so hard to appreciate the music. I can see that a lot of 90’s alt rock were influenced by this record, so I appreciate the contribution

Freak Scene brilliant song, rest of the album good, but really found the song don’t hard to listen to.

Scrappy lofi indie rock. Starts strongly but drops. Not my favourite of them.

Would be nice if the list contains a few more Dinosaur Jr albums, but otherwise this is an excellent choice. One of the best Dinosaur Jr albums: perfect songwriting (Let It Ride, Budge, etc) + perfect guitar playing + perfect sound = 5 *****.

I was struggling with the vocals at times, but the guitar tones are great. Strong album.

Pretty rockin'!

I am a big fan of this band throughout the many stages of their long career. This is something interesting for anyone who likes rock.

Grungy

Pretty cool but also a loooot of noise.

Sounds like an OK sixth form band.

Pretty bland

Alright with a couple of really good songs

For 88 this is pretty good stuff considering how much I dislike hairbands. A band before their time

Why don't I like you? I think it's mostly the whiny sounding vocals. Also might be (and I know this makes me sound old) the fact that a lot of this sounds like noise. Wasn't a fan then, not really enjoying it now either. 2 stars.

This was pretty rough. I like parts and disliked others. It's for sure a mixed bag for now.

tinny gritty thrashy droning repetitious. the worst songs of a Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack

Great sounding layers of guitars, and emotive lyrics about the disenfranchised. I can see how this dude had a big influence on the guitar rock styles that emerged in the early 90s.

A standard Dinosaur Jr. outing, save for some younger J. Mascis vocals that help the LP evoke an almost heavier Pavement-like sound. No tracks that really leap out, but this band has undeniable chops which mean the album is an enjoyable listen.

Mostly OK, except that \"Don't\" is physically painful to listen to and is literally one of the worst songs on 134 albums I've listened to so far.

Val (peut-être)

Too trashy

the best!

Some decent points but some really low ones. Interesting though.

Not having a lot of exposure to Dinosaur Jr I wasn't sure what to expect with this album so I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! This is a really good album and I can see it's influence on Alt Rock moving forward and also on some Grunge Music, Pond Song (Neil Yong), and a hint of Pavement. The album features great guitar work and drumming which are brought out by the clean production. Lyrically the album seems a bit weak, and repetitive, but that seems to work out okay as the focus seems to be more on the music and less on the vocals on this particular album. The one song on here that I had a tough time getting through was Don't, the screaming gets a bit much and drones on. Other than that really good album and it opens me up to listening to more Dinosaur Jr work. Favorite Songs: Freak Song, Pond Song, Yeah We Know. I give this one a 3.5 - 4.

I'm going on the higher side of 3.5 on this one, but it might be because I'm a sucker for noisy, slacker rock with some poppier moments. I can see how Built to Spill and Dinosaur Jr. (and the Pixies) are listed together as important bands of this era. Freak Scene is simple, but a banger.