Sweep It Into Space (Dinosaur Jr) – music review

Here on Sweep It Into Space, Mascis co-produces with Kurt Vile, who adds his own guitars to the mix, but these 12 new tracks resonate with the bold, guitar sound of classic Dinosaur Jr. with searing, soaring solos floating on a bed of distortion and the solid rock foundation of bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Emmett Murphy, who just goes by Murph. Barlow sings lead on a couple, “Garden,” a lighter sounding acoustic leaning song, and “You Wonder,” both have more of a 60’s folk rock feel. Elsewhere, Mascis leads the band through some harder rocking pieces, “To Be Waiting,” “I Met the Stones,” “I Expect It Always,” “N Say,” and “Walking To You,” which hint of Neil Young’s noisier experiments with Crazy Horse.

In the brighter, more acoustic feel of “I Ran Away,” and “And Me,” we hear Mascis’ more melodic side, while “Hide Another Round” has a catchy vocal hook inside his skittering electric guitar attack, and of course throughout the album we hear Mascis, and I suspect the occasional Vile, solo guitar scorcher. Dinosaur Jr. is a curious moniker for a band that refuses to let the classic guitar sounds of rock music go extinct.