SOUNDTRACK–DINOSAUR JR-Beyond (2007).
This was Dino Jr’s reunion album of the original line up. And it sounds like the band had hardly gone away.
The opening tracks showcases the diversity of Dino Jr’s dynamic: a heavy, fast poppy number and then a “ballad” (Mascis style) and then a more heavy chugga chugga song.
By the middle of the album the band loosens up even more. “Been There All the Time” has that kind of sloppy (but really not sloppy, they are actually very tight) sound of great Dino. “I Got Lost” is the inevitable falsettoed Mascis track. It’s slow and unusual for the rest of the disc, but it really showcases the band’s diversity.
The most notable things about Dino are Mascis’ voice (a kind of slacker pseudo-whine) and his wild guitar soloing. And they are prominent here. Mascis’ voice sounds great (of course, if you didn’t like it then, you wont like it now), and his songwriting is top notch.
I am actually more partial to the Dino Jr albums after Barlow left (blasphemy!–although even I admit the diminishing returns on the last few discs). But on this disc, the band sounds totally revitalized and the songs are uniformly great.
Lou Barlow gets two songs. They sound very Barlow: a bit slower but very catchy. As I wondered about Farm, I’m not sure what would make Barlow return to Dino since the band still feels like Mascis’ band with Barlow getting a few songs. I mean, they sound great together on the disc, but it’s clear that Mascis is the star here. But whatever the reason, it’s a wonderful return to form and one of those rare reunions that really works.
[READ: May 18, 2011] “The Cat’s Table”
The combination of this title and the accompanying picture (a large cruise ship) was very confusing to me. It turns out that the Cat’s Table is what a passenger on the cruise ship calls the table that they are assigned because it is as far from the Captain’s table as you can get.
The story opens in the third person as it describes a young boy (aged 11) who is seen boarding this large cruise ship which is travelling from Colombo, Ceylon to England (a 21 day journey). The boy is traveling by himself to meet his mother.
After that brief section, the story switches to first person, from the boy’s point of view.
I was shocked to read that this eleven year old boy was dropped off on a cruise liner with no adult supervision. But it turns out that there are several boys on board who are his age, and he even knows one from his school. Coincidentally, his neighbor Emily, the closest thing he has to real family, is also on board. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 