Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Started strong fell off. I’ll stick to the cure thanks
I know this is more punk than grunge, but this had to be an influence on Nirvana.
The godfathers of modern noise rock. If you dig The Pixies, you'll like this.
Super fun raw punk-adjacent album.
The vocals are horrendous. Everything else is pretty solid. I have some reservations against distortion unless it's counterbalanced by a smoother element, otherwise it just comes off as music that's deliberately obtuse and hard to approach. What exactly about this makes you want to hum it, to come back and listen to it again? The answer, in this album's case, is the almost soundscapey backing instrumental. If you can manage to tune out the vocals, which (as another reviewer identified) are consistently very out-of-tune (flat), you end up with a surprisingly gratifying set of instruments. I really like the rise and fall of textures throughout the record. In a Jar has a fresh, simplistic, punky feel, while the track immediately following it, Lose, is a muddy (yet fast), bluesy number. Sludgefeast alternates between foreboding softness and foreboding heaviness, creating an almost prog-like structure in the process. Despite being the 2nd most popular song here, I had to try pretty hard to enjoy Little Fury Things (though I got there in the end). To Mr J. Mascis: vocals don't get more in tune if you double them. But the guitar, drums, and assorted percussion are great – if a little cliché for their time. The guitar solo in the album closer, Just Like Heaven, is much better: melodic and skilful, ducking out of the ultra-distortion style into a softer, 80s-esque kind of grunginess. The end of the track is extremely sudden if you aren't watching the progress bar. Unfortunately though, there are some obviously bad songs on here too. I found myself grimacing throughout Tarpit because the singing is so horrifically bad and the instrumentation doesn't *quite* save it. Poledo sounds like early Pink Floyd mixed together with low-quality hallucinogens and a strong desire for filler material with zero musical content. At least the Floyd were had some convincing musical ideas. Poledo is a complete nothing burger. (And any review worth its salt will take this 6-minute disaster into account.) 3/5 Key tracks: Sludgefeast, In a Jar, Just Like Heaven
Liked this vibe, reminds me of shoegaze but obviously early on. Great guitar tones and sounds just not grabbing me for the songs
Album 884 of 1089 Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me (1987) Rating : 3 / 5 I’m familiar with the band and even have a couple of their tracks saved to my “like” list, so I went into this one knowing what to expect from their sound. While it definitely has that signature Dino Jr. style I enjoy, it just didn’t hold up to some of the other work I’ve heard from them. Still, it was a pleasant enough listen, and one I wouldn’t mind revisiting, but certainly not the best they’ve put out. They’re very much a hit-or-miss band for me, and this one landed somewhere in the middle.
Better than expected
Sounds like a skateboarding video soundtrack
Dinosaur Jr is one of those bands that I either like the track or don't. Not many middle of the road tracks for me.
Back in my younger years this would be something id listen to.
Enjoyed listening to it, and the bonus of a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven at the end was very welcome. 3.5 out of 5, but 3 seems too low so I’m going to give it a 4.
This was alright. Some of the guitar work was cool. But why was the ending so abrupt? The art is cool.
Sludgefeast amirite. Fuzz for all!
Wouldn’t be a first pick, but I could listen to it again.
It’s good but it’s just…incomplete. Fragments of everything are there but the overall songwriting doesn’t build anything out of them. Random cutoff in just like heaven to end it is apt Tough 3 since I really do like this album overall but I don’t feel like it deserves a 4
Wild to me that this is from ‘87. Sounds squarely like a 90s grunge/noise effort. Extra points for that, despite the vocals being a bit grating
I am not the biggest fan of alternative rock, which features the guitar heavily. I can listen to this, but I wouldn't add any song to my playlist.
I listened to this on Friday and had some thoughts I wanted to write but never did and now I can’t remember anything specific about this. I think it felt like ot was almost pregrungie but it was heavier than the 90s “hits” that i know. It was fine.
Pretty fast pased album with good guitar mostly. A little shoegaze-y with Tarpit, but not in a bad way. Solid album
The lead guitarist can sure play that thing! Pretty heavy for the Alt rock I've listen too. Pretty sweet. I wasn't overly thrilled about the vocalist. 6/10
Grunge rock. Started out solid but fell apart with a few weird songs at the end.
Resulta un poco ruidoso hoy en día. Hay detalles de calidad.
I just listened to The Velvet Undergroud and Nico and I mentioned how it can be a difficult listen but it was also very rewarding. I find this album to be equally difficult but with less reward. I do think the first half of the album is pretty solid without being exceptional, but I don't particularly enjoy the second half. Some of the guitar soloing is pretty badass and i dig the big crunchy guitars. Vocals don't really do it for me. I find some songs a little bit unimaginative. Favourite tracks - Little Fury Things & Kracked. 7/10
Really good, can definitely tell it was ahead of it's time, probably inspired a lot of future bands. Early punk grunge style. A bit grating at a few times though
Wygląda na to, że z grunge’u lubię tylko Nievanę. Jakieś to rozproszone było. Czułam, że to wielki zespół, słyszałam ile późniejszych zespołów się nimi inspirowało. Ale no za serce mnie to nie chwyciło. Po prostu porządny kawałek dość nowatorskiej roboty. 6.5/10 równane w dół.
Good album. A little J Mascis goes a long way.
Pretty good
While this album arrived earlier than "Bug", another album on this project from Dinosaur Jr., I feel like this album is the better representation of the direction of alternative rock and grunge of the 90s. This is also the far more listenable album of the two. It has some great riffs and some incredible, gritty vocals. Their cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" was a mixed bag for me. Musically, it was pretty good. Vocally, he literally seemed to drone the vocals as off-key and as off-tempo as possible. The very abrupt ending of the song caught me quite off guard, too. I would say when all was said and done, there was enough to make this a 3, but barely so. The "Just Like Heaven" cover really almost pushed this into the red for me.
Standout Songs: Kracked Sludgefeast Raisans Lose
Good
You know what's great about punk rock and alternative albums from the 80s? Many songs, under 40 minutes. Dinosaur Jr are a great band that don't get enough attention, but the influence they yield was enough to take credit for most of the 90s Alternative grunge sound. 3.5/5
Pre-grunge and their first real kick at this new sound. It needs work. It's on this list because it's gloomy (lyrics), heavy and grungy (guitar/bass and drum sounds), a bit tonal or a bit screamy (vocals) and that's so much of what grunge alternative became. And while I liked Little Fury Things, Kracked, and Sludgefeast (which kick off the album) I started to feel like the album was repeating a bit after that. Or it dipped a bit. I don't know what the deal was with Poledo to end the album. Both Dinosaur Jr. and grunge got better as it aged.
I always like discovering bands that were precursors of bigger bands. This is grunge about four years too early. Little Fury Things immediately made me think of Nirvana. SludgeFeast immediately made me think of Soundgarden. The main dings against this album are a bit too much noise for my taste and I'm generally not a fan of slacker singing. I'd call it a 3.5 - I feel like I should round up to recognize that they were ahead of the curve, but between sloppy playing, slacker singing, and too much noise, I've got to go with the 3. Favorite tracks: Little Fury Things, SludgeFeast.
Kinda raw, but like raw carrots rather than raw cake batter
Very surprised. PROS Guitar melody Of the time Bright Flow CONS Not much diversity
It was an interesting album. Some good songs on there. I'd say 2.5 - I will round up.
Not bad!
Supremely average
It's okay, don't have much to say
I have not heard of this band or album before. I can't say I recall hearing any of these songs either! Enjoyed the rhythm and music but found the vocals hard to listen to. Glad to have been able to take a listen though!
This is one of those classic albums that despite being good I never really liked like other people do, people swear by this being the best noise rock or lo fi indie thing but personally it never hit for me. Some nice songs but ultimately feel forgettable after a while, not helped by the lo-fi-ness not really complementing the music, it moreso neuters it sometimws (sludgefest). I also don't care for J Mascis as a singer even if his skills moreso lie in his guitar playing. All in all a fine record but not one I like still
Is this grunge? I don't know. Kinda cool.
It’s decent. Not transformative or groundbreaking, but a good album. 3/5 Might listen again
Never heard before. Bits I liked and will probably return to. Bits that were a bit less good. Sounded like Sonic Youth but more low fi.
i was going to give it a 4 but then it really lost me in the end
I really wanted to like this and I quite enjoy the soundscape, the guitar sounds were cool and the drudgyness was enjoyable. The singer sounded like an Drunk version of Bernard sumner - which again I quite enjoyed... But I just wasn't taken by any of the tracks. Nothing really stayed with me. I was intrigued by the cure cover but it felt a little too similar to the cure's version just with dinosaur Jr's guitar sounds so wasn't quite the gateway I to enjoying it I hoped for. I'd love to find a song or two by them that I loved, that might lead me on to getting into the rest of their catalogue, but it didn't happen on this listen.
Dinosaur Jr. siempre tiene buenas canciones, y creo que junto a los Pixies son los padres de todo lo que vino después. Este disco es más de eso. De repente alguien toca guitarras como heavy metal pero canta como Morrissey y claro, fue una revolución. Lo mejor es la versión de los Cure.
If doing dinosaur sounds with your guitar was a concept for a band.
= the Beatles
This is about as “dishevelled” as music gets but I like it! I’ve loved the track Freak Scene for decades and they did a fab cover of Show me the Way that I can’t find anywhere.
Don't love it as much as the 90s and 2000s revivalist DJr, but still decent.
Not bad. Didn’t hate. I’d heard of the band, but didn’t know any songs. Fine to listen to.
I guess it's pretty good noise rock for something that came out in 1987. Still noise rock, though. 2.7
This sort of became background noise after a while. Not to say I can't appreciate the sound they have for the late 80's. This sound is really reminds me of the early-mid 90's with grunge rocks. They were likely early influencers of this sound, but I also don't think they did it best. So in the overall world of music I can see how it is influential, but nothing about it amazes me today.
Ear splitting rock and roll! This is hardcore 👍
flinke cafe rock
Why not
first listen it's alright, remarkably short
Yeah I mean it’s gotta start somewhere right??
An alright album, I liked lungs the most.
If I was the singer for a band, this is what it would sound like. Shameful they’ve got this singer because he really brings the band down. Vocals are so limited and bland. The guitars sound great, but his voice…
It's pretty good, the instrumentals are surprisingly nice.
Solid length. Started off strong, but not too many great songs afterwards. The Just Like Heaven cover was interesting, not what I was expecting.
I liked the loud guitars and driving rhythm, but I didn’t care for the drawling vocals one bit. “regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums in alternative rock.” - what a damning indictment of an entire genre. To be fair, it was better than I feared it would be!
I liked some of the guitar sounds on this Album, but the singing wasn't the best. Nothing really grabbed me. It's quite short, which always helps. I did listen to their two covers on the bonus tracks, which probably bumped the rating up a little.
Good instrumentals, okay vocal work. Overall just alright.
-cool album!! sounds sort of an interesting middle ground between noise rock and early grunge -maybe I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as some people just because a lot of the music wasn’t as memorable, maybe I need to relisten… some absolutely phenomenal songs on here tho, what they can do with a guitar is very impressive -Favorites are Kracked, The Lung, and Raisans
Unfortunately yes. 3.5
You!! Lost and lonely YOU!! Not their best record but possibly the Greatest Cover Song Ever.
J Mascis has a monopoly on being J Mascis. And he uses it for good.
Слушал невнимательно.
45 seconds in and this is not the Dinosaur Jr. I thought I was getting. They definitely sound like a Pixies cover band. There is such a thing as too much distortion and they found it on the end of Little Fury Things. This is like the original college radio band. These guys took a little bit from everything before them, punk, metal, early alternative. The Lung is the first song that reminds me of Feel the Pain. Since they were contemporaries, I wonder if these guys or The Pixies think the other one totally ripped them off. These guys are like a cross between The Pixies and The Flaming Lips. The Pixies ripped them off! They were both at UMass Amherst but Dinosaur Jr. came first! Adam Duritz heard this album and thought he could make pop music with the same voice. Covering The Cure's Just Like Heaven? It works!
Interesting overall, I'll listen to them again one day
I saw them once and it was the most excruciatingly loud thing I've ever experienced, so I played this very quietly. It had its moments, but I can see why they lean on volume. (And the Cure cover was a treat.)
I'm torn on this one. It's pretty all over the place but it's a vibe, especially when they get all rocky.
already had one of these songs on my playlist
Surprisingly, I kind of liked this one. At least I thought it was okay until they came to the song Paledo, where they went all “revolution nine”. I think maybe if I listened to this some more, it might grow on me, but first impressions lead me to give this one 3 stars. Probably doesn’t excite me enough to listen to it again though.
Not bad. I don't think it will stick with me much, but I can appreciate it for the time.
Appreciated the wall-of-noise sound, the fuzz, the grunge, and the style switch-ups. Weak vocals, and a lot of nuance I’m sure I missed on a distracted listen.
This is an album I have to listen to when my wife isn't in the car or room. It's noisy, busy, and most of the songs don't have a clearly defined structure. Still, there's some redeeming qualities here. I didn't find it as melodic and captivating as the last Dinosaur Jr. album I listened to (and I'm not quite sure we need more than one Dinosaur Jr. album on this list), but it's entertaining.
Some decent grungy stuff on here. Not sure I would listen again, but quite enjoyed it.
I’ll be this shit would go so hard at The Bronze.
This is #day240 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... speaking of the American alternative rock/indie rock scenes, I've always loved Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo. The Pixies come to mind as well, though perhaps not as much. For some reason, Dinosaur Jr. never made it onto my radar. But listening to You're Living All Over Me, you can hear how it influenced the grunge explosion just a couple of years later, as well as shoegaze. The music is loud and dissonant, and what's interesting is how the vocals manage to stay melodic despite the chaotic backdrop. I can also pick up traces of post-hardcore and maybe some emo, which I don't mind. Still, in the end, I'd probably rather revisit one of the bands I mentioned above. This is a strong 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day241.
Day453 - i was gonna complain about the sloppiness and garage band feel to it but the more i listened the more i liked it
уже не помню но не понравилось кажется
The music behind the vocals is worthy of headbanging, but not a huge fan of the singer
Previously rated: Bug (3/5) ********************** This one started out promising with some good guitar and drums. The vocals were passable. But there's too much stuff that's just non-musical noise, and the disinterested vocals started to get on my nerves. The bonus track, a cover of Just Like Heaven wasn't great. Another take it or leave it album from these guys.
This was cool. Some annoying screeching as though.
An interesting album- I had never heard of Dinosaur Jr. A post-punk, pre-grunge fusion. Overall not really for me but there were a few parts I found myself rocking out to. I can see how this album was influential to other artists. 2.5 to 3 / 5
Too skreetchy to give anything over 3 ⭐ Favorite track - In a Jar
I'm pretty conflicted on this album. It sometimes is really good but at other times it is screaming nonsense. I'll give it a 3 as it clearly was influential and has some decent songs but definitely has some stinkers.
An interesting listen. The mix and production often sounds like ass, but it was very clearly ahead of its time and hugely influential on the decade that would follow. Great melodies and riffs, questionable vocals. As an outsider with zero nostalgic attachment, pretty solid.
Enjoyed listening to this album. Favourite track is Little Fury Things 3/5
Pretty cool but can be very noisy at times.
I don’t remember this band or this album at all. But I liked it. I feel certain it should have been in my wheelhouse during my college years. But they might not have really hit until a few years later when I was in the throes of life.
298/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
honest and straight
#505. Is this good? It is not. Do I like it anyway? Yes, I do. 3/5: like pop punk, but better.
19/02/25
Never could quite crack them. They feel like a band that has one hit song that is in the video game "Rock Band." But they are cool and noisy!
My god he's very whiny. Music is fun though
3.6
Was okay. Little too muffled and chaotic for my liking. 3/5
Pretty good, I might like it more with more listens. Doesn't stand out too much
Songs are good, Big 3.
A bit noisier than their previous album "Bug", which was also on this list. Interesting from a technical standpoint maybe, but closing with whatever "Poledo" was and a mediocre cover of "Just Like Heaven" doesn't really land. The rest was fine.
Intensives Album aus der Gründungszeit des Grunge. Es ist roh, ungeschliffen und in Teilen extrem krächzend. Deswegen ist es nicht leicht die zum Teil guten Sequenzen zu erkennen - aber es gibt sie.
I get it, but I still don’t really like it. Too whiny and loud.
IT's OK. Basically a bunch of songs with spoken word over feedback, but there were some harmoinies.
Фон
har lite lyssnings-anteckningar hemma och generellt kan jag säga att det är framtungt. man får lite trötthet
Solid band. Solid set of tracks. Not something I'll dig out frequently but I do like them when I hear them.
3+
Pre-grunge grunge.
Not bad but not great. I've never loved this band and this disc hasn't changed that opinion.
Better than the other one I had but cannot sing
I can’t be the only person who finds J Mascis’ voice kind of annoying. Great guitarist though.
This is one of my least favorite Dinosaur Jr. albums and I'm not sure why it's on the list instead of Beyond, Bug or Where You Been. It's a decent album I just think the band is better represented elsewhere and shreds a lot more on those albums. Great band though.
Garage Rock as heard from three garages away. So rough, it's jarring when one of the tracks ends on something as studio-based as a fadeout. Each song should only end when the drummer drops a stick again or when their mom tells them to pack it in because she needs to phone her sister
A punk / early grunge album. I liked Bug better. Music was fine by me throughout until we hit Poledo, that was a painful 5 minutes.
80s rock. Really decent, what you expect. Good melodies.
As another reviewer put it: "Sounds terrible - five stars". That's the wall of distortion/noise for ya, I guess. I probably would have connected with this album better if I listened to it as a teenager, but alas, at 31 years old I probably won't actively revisit it anytime soon. Pretty cool cover of "Just Like Heaven" though. What a ballsy way to end the song (and the whole album!)
Decent but unremarkable grunge. Stand-out: Raisans
Listened Before? N I loved this one. I'm conditioned to this pre-grunge stuff because friends introduced me to it in the 90s. Not my favorite genre but I do appreciate it. THIS album, however, is maybe my favorite by these guys so far and stands out IMO. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Kracked
Okay Just like heaven isn't as good as the OG
OK.
Funky
While I am a big dinosaur jr fan, there are several albums I would rate higher
Alternativo! Vou ouvir mais
2.5
Like an angrier Built to Spill and a less angry Xiu Xiu.
Ok but not sensational, I liked the song by The Cure in the style of the Jesus and Mary Chain.
2.5
Definitely some loud/grungey/cool indie guitar work on this one. This is a band where songs stick out more than album experiences but a true "rock" band.
liked "Kracked" apart from that, it's a wee bit noizy and basic for me.
It was alright. Not great, but a good listen.
Grunge before there was grunge. Vocals, sometimes drawling, sometimes wailing; guitar fuzz turned up to 11; themes of love, loss and darkness abound. I rather liked it.
No está mal, aunque me dio un poco igual. Muy dosmilero.
Good but doesn't stand out to me. had a lot of guitar solos and weird chord combos I wasn't a fan of.
Alt rock before it was a thing. Gave me a meh reaction. Mediocre stuff in the long run.
It was alright I guess
Appreciated this more than I enjoyed it. Will probably benefit from repeat listening.
Teilweise ein bisschen abgedrehter Rock.
I like the guitar a lot. Mascis drops these short licks like a meteorite streaking across the sky. Whoa! And it’s gone. Unfortunately for me, there isn’t a whole lot of structure to the music.
- boring -
Kinda punky
Pretty good
This album was alright. I'm becoming more aware of a portion of rock that I would describe as 'just a lot of noise'? The last half of Tarpit is a great example. It's a howling noise overlaid with the singer tonelessly repeating the same line. Underneath all that is an obscured guitar track and drums that seems like it may be pleasant, but you wouldn't know. I don't really like having my ears blasted with random noise, and I think I'm just not part of the generation where that was subversive and interesting. The rest of the songs were pretty alright. The vocals were not offensive but also not great, and it sounded like a whole lot of some pretty conventional rock. I did genuinely enjoy a few songs, like Sludgefeast and In a Jar. I probably won't ever listen to this again, but I'd describe it as boring rather than bad? This does not apply to the second half of Tarpit which I don't need to hear. 5/10
Some of my musician friends love this band and I still don't quite see why. It's just ok to my ears.
Cool gimmick, but this noisy indie record does feel very much like a gimmick! It's like saying «this is the feeling of being a popular kid with angsty thoughts, and these are a few ways of making that sound».
There’s some good stuff in here but it’s a little lo fi for my taste. Poledo RULES
Came around on this album big time. Gonna give it a three, but could see this being a big grower
Actually pretty good. Wanna give 4 but not.
Chill
It is a lot more exciting than many others but sadly not exciting enough for me to listen to it a lot. So still an average score, but a good one.
I really enjoyed the grimy guitar of this album. It feels like the link between The Replacements and Nirvana. A special nod of approval to the twisted Just Like Heaven cover version.
Decades have passed since I last heard this album. I was all set to just say “Nice t-shirt / Ordinary record”, but I found when I listened to it that it’s worn pretty well after almost 40 years. On the first half of the album the band is relentless. From Little Fury Things to Raisans, they don’t get out of top gear - Mascis’s guitar work is outstanding. Not sure what Poledo is all about - maybe the band’s Revolution #9? Not sure if Little Fury by The Breeders(2003) was at all influenced by Little Fury Things.
I wanted to like this more - you can see its fingerprints on a lot of post-punk, grunge/noise and indie of the 90s and 00s but I just found it a bit short on tunes and not particularly memorable.
Definitely the type of sounds that are right up my alley. Fairly rough around the edges & the singing leaves something to be desired, but my fuck does it ever rock!
This is pretty enjoyable. I may revisit it occasionally, since I'm seeing them live soon. Probably not part of my regular rotation though
Tenho sentimentos mistos com esse álbum - e com Dinosaur Jr. de forma geral. O som distorcido e caótico das músicas tem momentos muito bons e momentos muito irritantes. Tem uma pegada melancólica na melodia e um timbre maneiro dos instrumentos que aprecio muito na banda, mas achei um álbum cansativo de ouvir. O jeito que o J Mascis canta apesar de caber bem com as músicas progressivamente vai te incomodando.
You’re Living All Over Me Wasn’t particularly looking forward to this, although I quite like Sebadoh, and I know how influential Dinosaur Jnr are, I wasn’t really in the mood for some American alt rock grunge type stuff. But I did like the first track quite a bit, although the initial yelps did make me think we were in for something painful, but I liked the kind of slackery vibe and easy melody. Kracked is more of the same, a kind of laid back melodic feel with some good guitar noises. I like the opening riff on Sludgefest and the subsequent riffing throughout too. The Lung is good as well, I like the time signature change and some of the guitar at the end is very nice. Raisans is pretty generic alt tock, but again some of the guitar is very nice. Tarpit, again, decent song, nice guitars. In fact that pretty much sums up the rest of the songs, apart from Poledo’s more fragmented and unsettling structure. Although there is a bit of sameness to the songs and he’s not always the strongest vocalist, I like this. It’s much better than I was expecting, with a pleasing home made lofi quality to it too. While it is still in that American alt rock/grunge/noise rock style, I much preferred it to things like Sonic Youth, Soundgarden etc, it’s a bit more interesting with better tunes and generally a better vibe. And it’s good that it comes and goes in about 35 minutes, not outstaying its welcome. It’s not the greatest album I’ve heard, but also far from the worst - for this type of album it’s good. A very solid 3. 🦖🦖🦖 Playlist submission: Sludgefest
Cool album title. Cool album cover. Cool band name. Cool song names. I like the 90’s rock style. it’s really tough to listen to this singer. I don’t think this is a good sounding album. I don’t know why they would put a Cure cover on here but i do like that song and it is better than any of the other songs on the album.
Better than I expected. Where punk stars to become grunge.
The distortion on the first song gave me a headache.
This album made me feel young again for some reason. Is it magic?…..
"I didn't really enjoy ""Bug"", but I found this album to be a bit better. I can see why they were influential more on this album. "
I really felt this was going to be awful after the first 15 seconds but it ended up being a good mix of indie grunge and rock. The guitars were definitely loud and the forefront of the songs. The lyrics weren’t bad and not screamed into oblivion. Overall this was a decent grunge album before the 90s which makes it pretty solid. 6.4/10
Great, but the singing is really bad. The very lo-fi stuff towards the end is also not for me. Favorite song: the lung
I didn't know the role of Dinosaur Jr in shoegaze, but it makes sense after listening to this. It's an album I might have got into as a kid but it's all too late now.
Excellent grunge. Love J's voice, but wonder if they would have been more mainstream if his voice wasn't so unconventional.
# Playlist track - Little Fury Things # Notes - Weird and noisy at times, but have some great riffs. - Kind of remind me of being younger, for some reason. Maybe is the grunge-ness of it all. - This is earlier than bands live Nirvana and Pearl Jam, so must have been super mind-blowing at the time.
Decent. Chaotic and noisy but there's an art to it.
some solid indie rock sounds. I can see how these guys had some influence.
I can see this album’s influence on Grunge bands and, therefore, it was worth a listen. Beyond that, it was not as good as those that come after it, especially the vocals, which do not blend well with the rough music. Three plus.
East coast early grunge. I liked it but not enough to go beyond a 3+.
This is alright. It's got that fuzzy, distorted guitar sound and there's a decent amount of melody buried under the noise, which keeps it from being just a headache.
Meh.
The guitars gave this album life! I love the diversity of the sound and the listen was enjoyable.
Interesting music. Some of it was quite good, reminded me of Pearl Jam (or at least Eddie Vedder), but some was just noise or very sophomoric. Three stars.
Nirvana .5
This is a great album cover. The songs are perfectly okay. "Poledo" stands out, I suppose, at least the beginning. Good discordant acoustic vibe, good lyrics. But the whole thing just involves a little too much gimmicky playing with radio-tuning interference sound effects and whatnot.
Både og ass
A bit of an oddball record overall, but inoffensive and decent to listen to
Noisy alt-rock with minimal substance. I like feedback in a rock album like the next guy, but this album had a significant amount of noise. Not a huge fan of the vocals, but some of the tracks were better than others. Highlight was "SludgeFeast." This was fine, but that's it.
I had no idea what or who Dinosaur Jr. was not on my radar. This was fine for me. Competent musicians and easy to listen to.
Okay album. Nothing too catchy, but good background listening.
Not bad but the lead singer's voice really drags this whole thing down.
Ugh, Dinosaur Jr. And by "ugh," I mean "I really want to like these guys, but I wish I were listening to Sonic Youth instead." I gave Bug a pretty lukewarm review a while ago, so I didn't have super high hopes for this album. Suffice to say, my middle of the road expectations were met. This album is full of noisy guitars, good drum fills, and plenty of time changes. These guys are great at what they do, and it's really obvious that their influence has been felt in alternative rock and shoegaze, but their sound just wears thin on me after a while. I don't mind noisy and distorted music, but I like tend to like things that are more melodically driven. Did I like this album? Not really. Can I understand why it's on this list and why people like it? Absolutely.
I never really listened to Dinosaur Jr. but always loved the band name. They’re pretty cool! Rough and sloppy alt-rock / grunge. A lot of catchy melodies alongside the hard rock jamming. Not a standout album for me but the music has a gritty energy and I’d be down to check out another album by them. I like this album cover a lot. It's very memorable.
Cool sound, went by kind of fast. Sounds like harsher indie rock Daniel Johnston. I like how they aren't afraid to have some more dissonant and edgy sounds on the production side. My friend Jake recently did a songwriting camp with J Mascis and said it went really well. The guy has a lot of good ideas and unique approaches to force creativity. It's a 3 for me. I don't want to call it forgettable, but it needs a single or two or something that makes me want to say "oh I need to hear that one song again!" Album cover is cool!
Prehistoric. 3
Yllätyin että Dinosaur jr. on näinkin vanha bändi (levyssä kuuluu enemmän ysäri kuin kasari) ja että biisit ovat näin melua. Melua kuitenkin enemmän indie- kuin punk-tavalla (mikä edelläkävijä!). Vähän liikaakin, koska en kuule räminän alta biisejä, vain muminaa. Kivasta tunnelmasta yksi tähti.
This is heavy proto-grunge, negatively focused on the whole, challenging, noisy, and weird. What was happening in Massachusetts in the late 80s? This is what "indie" used to be. Much less of an attempt to be popular through hooky songwriting tropes. More from the heart and about as underground as you want to be without disappearing completely. I don't dislike this era, sort of underground American post-post-punk - I don't know. Definitely not for everyone. A bit in that Minutemen/Hüsker Dü/Meat Puppets vein. A lot more dismal and introspective though.
01) Little Furry Things - 7,5 02) Kracked - 7,0 03) SludgeFeast - 6,5 04) The Lung - 7,0 05) Raisans - 7,0 06) Tarpit - 5,5 07) In a Jar - 6,5 08) Lose - 6,0 09) Poledo - 4,0 10) Just like Heaven - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,30 (63/100) Yesterday I was reading reviews for David Gray's "White Ladder" and one person said that if you click anywhere on the album you wouldn't recognize which song is playing because they are all the same... How is this one any different? And yes, whilst David Gray probably influenced the boring people like Blunt or Sheeran this might have inspired Nirvana or Pearl Jam. I would definitely rather listen to Nirvana than Ed Sheeran, but I would also prefer David Gray to Dinosaur Jr.
Reminds me of mercury rev (maybe mercury rev should remind me of this?)
My only exposure to Dinosaur Jr. was their cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven (which happens to close this album). So I knew it was going to be kind of punk and kind of weird, but I wasn't prepared for how weird. This album started out okay and got progressively stranger and noisier. It started out sounding sort of like a mix between a punkier Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. The first few songs were pretty fun, then the middle of the album sort of blended together with several songs that sounded similar. It started getting weird around Tarpit. The second to last song was a bizarre art/noise piece, and then the album ended with the aforementioned Cure cover. The worst part of this band is the singer. My God, is his voice irritating. He makes Eddie Vedder seem like Pavarotti. I'm also not sure if they intentionally played with meter on The Lung, or if the drummer is just that bad at keeping time. Regarding the cover, I'm kind of conflicted about it. When I first heard it I hated it, but I have to admit that it's growing on me. I know it's Robert Smith's favorite cover, and I'm guessing it's because the screamo chorus is just so out of nowhere that it's kind of hilarious — that's definitely something Robert would get a kick out of (I'm also pretty sure he changed the way he sings the "Why are you so far away" line live because of this cover, which I'm kind of mad about). I'll give it a 3 because it started out decent and the cover is kind of fun. But the singer and the back half ruin it.
Is not a bad album. I want to like it, but it somehow just falls flat. Maybe it's the lethargic singer. I love the crunch and the melody, but each song seems to drone on without any real changes. I was so conflicted by this one that I had to pause my albums so I could give this one a closer listen a few times. I just can't get into it but it's ok.
I was never really into these guys, but they were definitely a big influence. This is 1990s rock in the 1980s
Should’ve listened sooner
Very cool and rowdy album. I can't believe this is a mid 80s album. It sounds so far ahead of it's time and comparable to a lot of punk rock/rock of the mid 90s. I don't know there was a standout song for me, but definitely a cool album.
Listened to this while playing Imperium Classics. The game is still in progress. This reminded me of a college roommate who LOVED Dinosaur Jr. I was kinda meh about it. As I've aged, the meh has aged into a meh+.
I was going to say that I didn't get the hate or the love this album (or the band in general) gets, but then I hit the cover of Just Like Heaven that gets CUT OFF BEFORE THE END. But really, it's just a pretty average indie rock band with some experimentation.
I had to restart this halfway through, not because I loved it, but because I realized I was listening to it wrong. Listening to it as a 46 year old, Little Fury Things started and I thought “oh no, please get better” and it didn’t. I restarted it after I realized Violent Femmes / Nirvana / Candlebox loving 16 year old me would have unabashedly adored this album. Like fling-myself-on-the-bed-with-the-album-on-repeat adored. That said, I’m currently 46 and this was a solid 2. I’m gonna give it one extra star in homage to my teen music tastes.
There’s a lot to like here, the instrumentals are good, but I’m deducting points for how unbearably noisy it sounds a lot of the time. Maybe it’s the style, but that’s not for me.
Menoa ja meisinkiä, helppoa kuunneltavaa. Kaikki biisit ei ollut hittejä, mutta ei siellä mitään suurempia hutejakaan ollut. Perushyvä.
er óviss. gef þessu annan séns. 3,5.
The sound quality is lacking on this album, but perhaps that makes it a bit more "punk"? It's actually really well polished musically and lyrically it's not as bad as some punk can be.
Interesting music. Can definitely hear influences on most rock of the early 90s, from Smashing Pumpkins to Drive By Truckers
I loved it, but it wasn’t special. If this was the best of their music I understand why they weren’t more popular. The music itself was great and has great potential, but the production value was not there.
Started to enjoy it and then some/ a lot of the songs became fairly chaotic and impenetrable- particularly on first listen. Not an enjoyable experience by on large but had its moments. I’m sure I’m in the minority but sadly just didnt get it.
3.5* I like the album cover and the band name and overall it was a solid, enjoyable album
This one was a good time. I like the diy garagey feel and all the funky guitars. Would probably listen again
I thought I would hate ”You’re Living All Over Me” after hearing J.Mascis live. He overused feedback and distortion. But it’s actually okay. It’s kinda, tactile? I think Dinosaur Jr’s music was created for you to feel each note. The guitars remind me of The Ramones and Motörhead. J Mascis with his droning/monotone vocals has a Neil Young touch (J cites Nick Cave as an influence, which I can hear as well). This is an eighties album that sounded way ahead of its time. Perhaps shaping what was to come with 90’s grunge. It’s not my thing, however I feel that at least one Dinosaur Jr needs to be on the list. Overall: 6/10
Kinda depressing, but can hear the influence of modern punk.
This was great. It was far more creatively strange, oddball, experimental than I thought it was going to be, 10 minutes in. Some weird tape experiments, strange overdubs. But mostly I feel a fondness for this record because it sounds like so many of the grunge/punk bands of my hometown, just what was in the air in Massachusetts at the time. It's got a really nice, homey sound that, if you grew up around this, just makes you feel kind of cozy and a little nostalgic? It's a nice kind of jagged sound blanket. And it's more creative and listenable than the last Dinosaur Jr. album we had! Kind of surprising that this was as influential as it was, I can't get a sense of whether this was a breakthrough sound for the time or not, because it just sounds so characteristic of some parts of my childhood. Just sonically, it gets a little repetitive and kind of dull-feeling. And there's a way in which the roughness and super DIY feeling of the album becomes kind of a turnoff after a while. It just doesn't have a great sound– just the record sonics– that a lot of the good grunge bands we've had on this list share. A little hollow-feeling. Still, kind of nostalgic and had a fun time with it. 3/5
some people are calling the first songs "a slow start," but those might be my fav part of the album. the vocals are not exactly great – which does take away a bit from the songs, unlike in some cases where bad vocals fit the music or the vocalist, despite being a bad singer, is an irreplaceable frontman and the soul of the band. but the instruments slap
I really wanted to like it, but I just wasn't feeling this one
I texted my wife, "Pretty standard pre-grunge, punk-adjacent, late 80s/early 90s anti-glam rock. Sounds like a band Cobain would have loved." Says it all.
It's ok, sounds very punky and heavy for me
This was fun, made me want to find more of their albums
Good
Bad in many ways, but also catchy as hell. What a weird combo.
Not what I thought Dinosaur Jr would sound like. That’s not a bad thing, but also not a good thing, it’s just a thing.
Reminded me pretty quickly of Husker Du, who’d been playing for 5 years or so when these guys got together…will need a closer listen to sort out how lyrics compare, content- and poetry-wise
Fun, easy, accessible stoner rock. I love that J Mascis is comfortable being exactly who is - pitchiness and all!
Honestly im not crazy about Dinosaur JR at all. I think they got some good jams but they make me feel like a mopey sad beta boy with low T.
Best Song: Raisans. Great guitar solo and the right balance of noise and angst. Worst Song: The Lung. A totally ordinary jam. Overall: The noisy and grungy variation of dad rock. Music to wear flannel, sip beer, and nod your head along to.
I liked it more and more as it went along. I feel like it was probably the inspiration for a lot of things to follow which also makes hard to hear in the context of its release. I could see liking it more on repeat listens.
90s flashbacks!! It was good for the memories...
Meio perturbador, mas até que eu gostei
My favourite parts were the screams of death and the wails of the decaying souls in Tarpit, and Toledo. Toledo really elevated this album from a 2 to a 3 "Poledo made me think "damn this was great I want to listen to the whole album again"." same
its american shoegaze!
Liked the guitar on most songs, which seemed to be a big focus of this record. The singer doesn't have a great voice, but it's unique and oddly fitting to the music they make. I can hear a lot of the influence modern indie music has had from this group. Solid album but not one I'd recommend unless I knew the person's taste
I liked Dinosaur Jr. more when I was young.
It is fine. The last song is really good.
Like it. Don't love it. the Just like heaven was nice at the end.
I understand the impact this had on grunge but that doesn't make it that good. 2.5
Glorious noise rock that is reminiscent of Pixies, but is really out in it's own universe. A decidedly low fi kind of recording, with lots of screaming guitar. Was originally familiar with the cover of Just Like Heaven. All the songs except Poledo left a brutal ringing in my ears. After a few listens I've gotten accustomed to the sound and it gets better on each listen - finding the melodies buried in the din. The Lung and In a Jar, along with Little Fury Things are my favorites.
I'm only vaguely familiar with their work. I see what they were going for with their proto-grunge sound, with a bit of experimentation thrown in the mix.
There’s a lot going on here. Perhaps, too much. Perhaps. I like this a lot, though. Mellow while still being a jam. Very nice. Instrumentally speaking I have no issues. As well as with the vocals, production, and writing. The issue is that it seems unfocused on the sound they wanted. Not a big complaint, but it could have used some more range as well. 3/5
Mostly entertaining
I like Dinosaur Jr fine, but the sound gets old after a while. I was ready to shut this one down after about 4 tracks.
Meh
Not very spectacular. 3/5
Merpin dangbot do merdup. Ianopter loosentia gamoboot. crangdip!
Never really got into the shoegaze stuff, but it's great how noisy and clear at the same time this album is. Bonus track version has a cover of Just Like Heaven by The Cure, pretty cool.
Noice sound.
It felt very “noisy” and raw, kinda fun though. Good summer music festival music? Favourite song was Sludgefeast.
It's kind of fun, a lot of beauty in the chaos, but it's mostly chaos.
Not today!
J’s (not quite) lackadaisical singing style softens the (not quite) cacophonous music. I think this is probably a 3.5 star album. I was going to round up to four, except I don’t really like the song Poledo so it’s getting a three. I liked the Cure cover.
I like Djr, but a little goes a long way. It says something that I owned this album and never made it all the way through it before today. When that last track came on, I was excited for some acoustic Syd-Barrett-style music, but then it went all haywire. i wish they had done more acoustic, just to break up the sonic assault. Anyway, a couple of bangers on here and some cool tracks I'd never paid attention to before, but it was all a bit much. I saw them live once. MBV opened up for them. Loudest show ever. My ears were ringing for three days. Like I said, all a bit much. (MBV was great, though!)
I mean this is so close to something I like. I love everything except the vocals, they are missing the edge that the rest of the instruments have. Granted this was 1987. The vocals being so clean does kinda throw it off for me. In a Jar was a highlght for me
Dear Robert Dimery, You know there are good albums that aren't punk and grunge right? Like I've had to listen to 20 punk albums and it's starting to get tiring.
Het begon al goed met de naam, de muziek klinkt her en der ook echt wel lekker, de zang is alleen wel een stuk minder, en het blijft wat mij betreft ook maar een kwartiertje leuk ofzo. Dat is toch wel kort. Toch drie sterren.
Needs to be louder
It’s fine. Never really got into these guys. I don’t think this listen has changed that got me. I say a little meh for you and then I move on, to greener pastures.
The instrumentals are more important that the vocals in this album. Much better sounding too. The familiarity of the genre was pleasant. None of the songs really stood out to me. Some of the instrumentals or solos are very good. There were also weird intense parts of the songs, with screeching guitar and vocals, somewhat strange
American alternative rock band. Des gros sons de guit c'est hot. Vraiment une belle découverte pour le style et surtout que c'est sorti en 1987.
This is a good album. Not exactly my prefered genre but it's catchy and energetic.
une bonne écoute dans l'ensemble. J'ai aimé les envolés de guitares et le mix. Ca sonnait bien et ca motivait pour la course. 3.25
going with the 1987 version release, excluding bonus tracks released later. (since this was written while extremely behind on "days", the format is changing to an overall commentary rather than individual thoughts on each song. tracklist: 1) Little Fury Things 2) Kracked 3) SludgeFeast 4) The Lung 5) Raisans 6) Tarpit 7) In a Jar 8) Lose 9) Poledo if you'd told me that tracks 1-3 were playable in a Guitar Hero game, i would not have been surprised in the slightest. this somewhat speaks to the quality of the recording, but also the indie-alternate-grunge-noise vibe that's going on, that we're listening to this be performed live in an abandoned warehouse. track 4 is a bit less raw noise, and is a little more melodic - not lighter, but seems a little bit floatier. feels like the guitar quality doing that. 1) 7/10 2) 7/10 3) 7/10 4) 6.5/10 oh, man. Raisans, track 5, now this is some after-school cartoon montage-of-delinquents-causing-mayhem background music. complete with taking shelter under an overpass during a surprise rainstorm! 5) 8.5/10 leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess fond of the loudness of Tarpit. 6) 4/10 we're back in that montage! kind of gives me the vibes of this one gave from the late 2000s early 2010s, it was about being a theme park manager. kind of like roller coaster tycoon, but it was 3rd person over the shoulder of a specific person? i'm pretty sure Buddy Holly by Weezer was part of the in-game background music. please somehow reach out to me if you know what i'm talking about. 7) 9/10 8) 7/10 very different vibe at the end here. feels like acoustic noise where the rest of the album is electric noise. the left ear guitar sounds a hair out of tune? it adds to the vibe. OH and then it hard cuts at 1:40 in, that's loud, don't like that. the rest of Poledo is just noise, i had to skip through it a bit to make sure. genuinely unlistenable to me. 9) 1/10 overall: 6.33/10 -> 3/5, solid listening experience outside of the last track
Ágætis drulla.
Fed hegn, men meget længe siden jeg har hørt det og den har ikke aget lige så godt som jeg havde regnet med. Det lød lidt for ens. Sidste nummer er en kæmpe banger.
I think maybe a little more accessible than the other Dinosaur Jr record on the list but perhaps not as skilled or as interesting. Good energy in the first few tracks, I liked Kraked, but I'm still not generally keen on the grungy fuzzy presentation, it's just too dominant.
I liked the opening 30 seconds - proper attention grabbing, energy, then flowed nicely into a good little punk song. Shame about the guy's voice, really not sure how people like this get into professional music. Hope he at least writes the songs. Album starts out strong, and then weakens towards the end, before the decent cover of Just Like Heaven. 3/5, could've been better if he could properly sing.
Ok. Boa cover
Weird loud but I kinda liked it
Pre grunge
Dinosaur Jr. sounded vaguely familiar but I was still surprised to see that I had already gotten one of their albums because I hardly remember a single thing about it. In my review I said it was another case of shit vocals and decent sound, which can also be said of this album but I definitely don't have as hard of feelings toward this one as I did toward bug. I'm not sure if my tastes have just evolved to like the style or if this one was just straight up better but I mildly enjoyed it overall. Really good guitar work and felt like proto-screaming trees alternative type thing.
On this album you can definitely hear the early shifts to indie rock. I appreciate the music and like it.
Very influential album that has some moments where everything clicks. Mostly rough around the edges and not the easiest listen.
I like what I've heard of Dinosaur Jr. They only seem to do one thing, but that one thing is distinctively them and quite enjoyable. I'm not sure how they've made a 38 year, 12 album career out of it, though. Just like Bug, this record is a fuzz of guitar scrawl with pace, purpose, energy and J Mascis' charmingly weedy vocals. Add a technically stronger singer and I don't think I'd like this as much. Just like Bug, this ends with a long weird freak out track (although the ukulele driven 'Poledo' delivers this in a different way to 'Don't'). Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Little Furry Things Date listened: 07/10/23
- I knew "Without a Sound" from this band before hearing this album and I like that album - Album came out the year I was born, had no idea they were making music this early - Cool solo on Sludgefeast - Poledo is very strange and not in the greatest way - Cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" - a little sped up with different guitar and vocal effects, but largely the same. It cuts off right before the ending chorus which was weird. - Overall not a bad album but not a great one. No song jumped out to me as a big hit, but it was a nice little jam/experiment album. I like "Without a Sound" much better.
I got onto this band bqckwards stsrtung with Barlow and Sebadoh. This kind of sub screamo meets hipster post folk isn't so much to my taste anymore but this is still pretty good.
I respect the heck out of this band. But in later years, they got even tighter.
Another indie rock for the list. I'll forget about it in a week, but it's not bad.
Hmmm… another Dinosaur Jr. album. This one I think I liked a little better than Bug (the other one). I would have thought this was made later in time than it was with the grunge sound. There were some interesting moments of sparkly grunge in Kracked that I really enjoyed… in fact like Bug the start of this album was pretty interesting but I kind of felt my enthusiasm wane about half way through - a similar reaction to Bug. Maybe I need to merge the first halves of both albums to make something I really enjoy?
This is a lot better than a lot of what was popular "rock" at the time, e.g., Poison, Whitesnake, etc. But U2, R.E.M., The Cure, The Smiths, etc. were all making better music at the same time. Dinosaur Jr. may have been better than what was played on the radio, but in terms of great rock albums there are many others that are far better. It's not bad a bad album, it's just not truly great. Out of its historical context, it's only slightly above average rock. Three stars.
Fun, but did not know much
Als ik dit nu voor het eerst zou horen, zou ik het waarschijnlijk afschuwelijk vinden, maar vanwege het jeugd sentiment natuurlijk een hogere score. Niet te hoog, want dit is niet het beste album.
Iemand hier gaat sowieso 5 sterren geven, dus dan houd ik het op 3
Verre van het beste Dinosaur Jr album, en eerlijk gezegd is deze te gruizig naar mijn smaak. Maar wetende wat voor helden het uiteindelijk voor mij zijn geworden toch een dikke 3 sterren.
Pretty interesting
Harsh but melodic. A good listen.
Off the bat it really has that indie sound. The riffs in 'Kracked' are so warping and twisting. I would love to hear that live. If the album cover could speak, it would sound like the singers voice.Very tired and over it. He sounds exhausted. It's also making me think about skating. I think that's the indie rock kind of punky sound they are producing. I loved the part at the end of 'sludgefest' where it just picks up super quick. Like they kicked down the door and said "Hey, fuck you were not finished yet!" It's very whiney but the instrumentals lift it up and give it some power. It's quite a contrast. I really liked the song 'In a jar', that had me moving and grooving.Very solid and Trilling ending with 'Just like heaven '. I love 'The Cure', and that was such a good cover. The guitar was so playful and just bounced along. Absolutely Mad Album.
Seeing this brought positive vibes, I was hopeful for a bit of nostalgia. The first song squashed that. Totally not my jam today.
This one I half listened to in the car, and then I thought it deserved a second listen, which I'm glad I did, as it had more nuance than I thought. Nothing hugely innovative, but you can see where the first wave of grunge bands got some of their inspiration.
It's pretty hard-driving in most parts (they sure do like the sound of a distorted guitar!) but it's darn good. I hadn't realized how far back this band goes. Cool sound for a band in the mid-80s.
I enjoyed it a lot
I would describe this as proto-grunge with new wave influences. It's heavy at times, melodic at other times. I didn't know what to expect as I had never heard any of these songs before but overall it was good, interesting to listen to. I can hear how this band influenced bands that came after it. A good example of history and musical evolution
The best parts were the instruments. Singers voice was bleh but I’ve heard worse. Poledo is 🗑️ Sludgefest is the best song.
good length, they trolled too much for a 4. 3.5 sludgefeast
Decent indie rock
Noisy guitar lads.
3.5
Its all all about the riffage. Apparently its an important album in Genesis of grunge and shoegaze. Noise indie rock lacking some tunes.
Not bad at all, didn't love it but I certainly liked it