- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
http://www.straight.com/article-91179/d … lou-barlow
Quote:Dinosaur Jr.’s lack of suck pleases cranky Lou Barlow
By Shawn Conner
May 17, 2007That Lou Barlow–what a charmer. My first question and already he’s living up to his cantankerous reputation.
"That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard," he scoffs when asked about a rumour that he’s reluctant to bring his own songs to Dinosaur Jr. for fear the band will ruin them with its trademark stamp of heaviness. "That’s something J [Mascis, guitarist-vocalist] said in an interview once. I never, ever in my life thought Dinosaur Jr. would ruin one of my songs. The whole thing comes down to confidence. There was a time when I wasn’t confident enough to bring songs to the band. With this record, I felt comfortable enough to bring a couple of things to work on."
The bassist is on the line from a Los Angeles practice space. He and drummer Murph are in the midst of rehearsals prior to Dinosaur Jr.’s current tour, this one in support of Beyond–the first album of new material by the original lineup in 18 years.
For a certain demographic, a fresh disc by one of the defining groups of the pre-grunge era is cause for cautious optimism. The trio of records Dinosaur Jr. released between 1985 and 1988–Dinosaur; You’re Living All Over Me; and Bug–represents a high-water mark of punk energy and good old-fashioned guitar chops, not to mention some of the catchiest songs of the period. Or, as Barlow has put it in interviews, some of the most "beautiful".
"I really thought J had been inhabited by an alien intelligence during that whole period," he says. "I thought that shit was so brilliant. It spoke so much about the emotional landscape we were on back then, even though there wasn’t a lot of communication. I thought his songs articulated that really well."
The rift that grew between Barlow and Mascis was one of the more well-known flameouts of the time. But when indie label Merge announced it was rereleasing those first three Dinosaur Jr. records, the band decided it had a reason to go out on the road again. Enthusiastic audiences prompted Mascis to consider recording a new album–surprising no one more than Barlow.
"I couldn’t believe it," says the musician, who was also on the road earlier this year with his band Sebadoh. "It seemed like a lot of hassle to make a new record. And there are very few good reunion records. I sort of imagined if we were to do one, it would just suck. Which turned out not to be the case, which is really nice."
Beyond exceeds expectations by not sucking–the disc has some really, to use Barlow’s term, beautiful moments, including the return-to-form opening guitar salvos on "Almost Ready", Mascis’s reluctant vocals on the bittersweet "This Is All I Came to Do", and Barlow’s own brooding "Back to Your Heart". If there’s no track that packs the kind of wallop of Nirvana-influencing classics like "Little Fury Things" and "Freak Scene", well, so be it–Beyond at least proves no other band mixes apathy, sadness, and wickedly melodic guitar solos like Dinosaur Jr.
"There are a lot of people loyal to J, and out of respect to them, we put out another record so we have a good reason to keep touring," says Barlow. "It would get kind of crass if we were going into our third or fourth year of touring and just playing the first three records. It would seem a little more opportunistic than it is already."
another BC article…shame about the extinction deal, not to mention that whole occasional excellent single description of post Bug Dino hx
Quote:Dinosaur Jr. wards off extinctionMike Devlin, Times Colonist
May 17, 2007
In the years following the 1997 breakup of alt-rock heroes Dinosaur Jr., founder and frontman J. Mascis found himself in a variety of bands and alongside an ever-changing lineup of musicians.But despite the occasional excellent single, new material from Mascis never reached the artistic levels of Dinosaur Jr.’s late-1980s peak, a period that saw the Boston-bred trio challenge Sonic Youth, The Pixies and, for a time, even Nirvana for the burgeoning alt-rock fiefdom.
Mascis, 41, shocked longtime fans in 2005 by announcing he was reforming the band’s core lineup of Murph (drums) and Lou Barlow (bass). It was a strange revelation that appeared to be motivated by money: the trio’s relationship had been kaput since 1991, and ended less than amicably.
Dinosaur Jr. was one of the most well-publicized dysfunctional families in rock, thanks in part to Mascis’s stoic, introverted personality and his firm grip on the artistic direction of the band, which left little room for input from anyone else. At one point, band members went weeks without talking to each other, which did not bode well for a smooth comeback.
"We’re all pretty skeptical about it," Mascis says of the reunion, which is now in its second successful year. "Judging by other bands from the past and how things seem to work out, we thought it might not be a good idea. But we decided to try it anyway."
That’s as much of an explanation on the subject as you’ll get from Mascis.
The surprise revelations continued further with the release on May 1 of Beyond, the first effort from Dinosaur Jr.’s core trio since 1988’s landmark effort, Bug. Money was involved in the decision. But for Mascis, who has no shortage of work as a guest guitarist and producer, the idea of a new record also intrigued him.
"We played so many shows (since reuniting), we just thought we’d like to play some more. But we needed some new songs if we were going to play more, and we were sick of all our old songs. If you’re in a band, you make a record and see what happens."
The resulting album, which was recorded in Amherst, Mass., at Mascis’s home studio, is being supported with more tour dates, including a stop Tuesday in Victoria, the first of eight in Canada for the group.
At the time of our interview, Dinosaur Jr. had yet to play since the release of Beyond, but on its most recent trek Mascis says the trio included two Beyond songs in its set, This is All I Came to Do and Back To Your Heart.
The mere inclusion of the latter tune, which was written by Barlow, is a sign that band relationships are on the mend. During his five-year stint with the band, Barlow never had one of his songs included on a Dinosaur Jr. recording; on Beyond he has two.
Barlow found considerable success following Dinosaur Jr., with his own groups Sebadoh and the Folk Implosion, but acceptance within Dinosaur Jr. — and from Mascis in particular — had always eluded him. For years, Barlow was resentful toward Mascis for firing him (he was informed via a newsbrief on MTV that he was no longer in Dinosaur Jr.). But both sides appear to have made amends.
"The hardest part of the recording was getting Lou to write some songs," Mascis says in his defence, his voice a drawling monotone. "And it wasn’t until the very end, a final recording session, that he had all these parts that we put together as songs. We were trying to get him to write them the whole time. I thought he’d be more psyched to play live if he had some songs to sing. He likes singing better than I do."
Mascis is no pitch-perfect singer, but his warble works in the context of Dinosaur Jr.’s sod-shifting sludge rock, which puts a premium on crunchy power chords. It worked on past hits Out There, Start Choppin’ and Feel the Pain, and it certainly finds its place on the extremely impressive Beyond.
Many credit Mascis with resuscitating the art of the guitar solo at a point in the evolution of indie and alternative rock where it was decidedly uncool to do so. He is credited with inspiring acts such as Nirvana and Built to Spill, whose guitar-drenched rock are direct descendents of the Mascis formula.
As per his musical tastes — "The stuff I listen to at home is mostly just guitar and vocals, be it folk or rock," he says — Dinosaur Jr. shows are heavy on the ears, although the now-legendary Mascis guitar solos vary night to night. "A lot of them are open-ended arrangements, so I could solo for 20 minutes," he says.
He’s not kidding. If Mascis doesn’t feel like singing, he doesn’t. Simple as that. But when the guitar playing is as good as it is In Dinosaur Jr., that’s not a negative.
Fans have welcomed Dinosaur Jr. back into their lives, even those who never realized they were gone. Mascis says he’s happy to playing the old songs again, although he admits he was a little surprised by the positive reaction his band has been given.
The group’s return has sparked interest in a demographic whose favourite acts from the era — The Pixies, The Stooges, Mission of Burma and Gang of Four — have either reunited or re-entered the studio in recent years. Mascis is happy to say that Dinosaur Jr. has earned in spot in such esteemed company.
"I’ve seen all of them, and those were all pretty good. But those are the good examples. Mission of Burma, especially, inspired us that maybe we could reunite and it wouldn’t be horrible. They are better now than when I saw them back in the day."
"Another Girl Another Planet " wrote:The mere inclusion of the latter tune, which was written by Barlow, is a sign that band relationships are on the mend. During his five-year stint with the band, Barlow never had one of his songs included on a Dinosaur Jr. recording; on Beyond he has two.
This writer needs to do his research before he does an article
yea, just because J wanted most of the creative control, doesnt automatically mean lou didnt have any at all.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.