by Dinosaur Jr.
”I Bet on Sky", due for release in Australia on September 14th, is the third Dinosaur Jr. album since the original trio – J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph – reformed in 2005. It marks the band’s 10th studio album since their debut on Homestead Records in 1985. The trio has taken everything they’ve learned from the various projects they tackled over the years, and poured it directly into their current mix. J’s guitar approaches some of its most unhinged playing here - this is head-bobbing riff-romance at the apex. Lou’s basswork has more melody now as well, although his two songs on "I Bet on Sky" retain the jagged rhythmic edge that has so often marked his work. And Murph…well, he still pounds the drums as hard and as strong as a pro wrestler, with deceptively simple structures that manage to interweave themselves perfectly with his bandmates’ melodic explosions.
There is nothing quite like a Dinosaur Jr. album. The best ones are always recognisable from the first notes. And even though J tries to trip us up by smearing “Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know” with keyboards, it’s clear from the moment he starts his vocals that this is the one and only Dinosaur Jr.
"I Bet On Sky", their first album since 2009's "Farm", is a true and worthy addition to the Dinosaur Jr. discography, brilliantly imprinted with the trio’s magical equation. For a combo that began as anomalous fusion of hardcore punk and pop influences, Dinosaur Jr. have proven themselves to be unlikely masters of the long game.
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