Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2013 Riot Fest in Chicago, IL
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2013 Riot Fest Toronto in Toronto, ON, Canada
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2013 Governors Ball in New York, NY
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2013 Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, ON, Canada on September 25th, 2012
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at Music Fest NW 2012 in Portland, OR
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2012 FYF Fest in Los Angeles, CA
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2012 LouFest in St. Louis, MO
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at 2012 80/35 Festival in Des Moines, IA
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at SXSW 2012 in Austin, TX
QRO’s review of Dinosaur Jr. at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on January 17th, 2010
QRO’s review of Dinosaur Jr. at Central Park SummerStage in New York, NY on August 16th, 2009
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. at SXSW 2009
QRO’s review of Dinosaur Jr. at Webster Hall in New York, NY on September 3rd, 2007
Photos of Dinosaur Jr at Irving Plaza in New York, NY on June 6th, 2007
What did we ever do without Dinosaur Jr.? The bad blood between singer/guitarist J Mascis (QRO solo album review) & singer/bassist Lou Barlow (QRO solo album review), the latter’s departure, Mascis hanging up the ‘Dinosaur Jr.’ name at the end of nineties – it all seems like only a bad dream at this point, thanks to the band’s triumphant second life. I Bet On Sky is the trio’s (with drummer Murph – never forget about Murph…) third post-reunion record, and once again, it’s right up there with anything else in their storied catalog.
In the late eighties & the early nineties, Dinosaur Jr. was the perfect blend of shredding guitars, grunge backbeat, and alt-punk greatness – and the group has kept it up with their new material, Beyond (QRO review), Farm (QRO review), and now I Bet On Sky. Sky has all the classic Dinosaur hallmarks: the resigned rock loss in pieces like “Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know” and “What Was That”, evocative emotions on “Stick a Toe In” and “Almost Fare”, and just the right level to Mascis’ killer guitar solos with “Watch the Corners” and “Pierce the Morning Rain”. Too often guitar solos feel indulgent and out-of-place, but for Dinosaur Jr., they fit in seamlessly with the overarching music and emotion.
Admittedly, I Bet On Sky does immediately sound like a Dinosaur Jr. record – but that’s a good great thing. It even has the requisite Lou Barlow tracks – “Recognition” could be a lost piece from his post-Dinosaur (and still going) band Sebadoh (QRO live review), plus there’s a catchy song that could have been from their early nineties MTV grunge era (“I Know It Oh So Well”). But there’s no need for Dinosaur Jr. to suddenly change everything up – like Beyond & Farm before them, I Bet On Sky is another great Dinosaur Jr. album.
MP3 Stream: “Pierce the Morning Rain“