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 Wow! Did not see this coming. Oct 25, 2009
A formerly fractured and bitter trio responsible for some of the best old-school indie ever pull themselves back together after a generation-long bout of mutual acrimony.
And... they go ahead and release 2 consecutive amazing albums (Beyond in 2k7 and Farm).
If you like guitar heroics, funky sludge, lyrics alternating between snark, sincere, and flat-out profound, and telepathic interplay between three great musicians who've known each other forever, get this album.
I'd say that Farm sounds like a perfect blend of Perfect from Now On BTS and Wowee-era Pavement if it wasn't for the fact that j mascis and crew inspired the aforementioned way before all this.
But Farm. Do it now.
Don't you see my silo rising high, high high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oct 07, 2009
Getting out my pitch fork, Poking your hay:
Farm. What can I say. Better and better with every listen. Probably on my 25th listen thru the entire album.
It is really hard fo me to rate which Dinosaur album I like best. It depends on my mood.
But most listens ever (entire album):
Green Mind
YLAOM
(Farm)*
Bug
Where you Been
Beyond
Hand it Over
Without a Sound
Dinosaur
Farm has moved up to 3rd on most entire album listens. I cannot say it's the best album of 2009, because I don't buy a heck of a lot of new music, but I can undeniaby tell you that if you like Dinosaur Jr., you will really like this album.
Every song is a gem, and Barlow's tune, 'your weather,' may actually be the best, and I'm one of those fans who leans heavily towards J. 'Oceans in the way' could be the best tune on Farm, but it's not really about rating best, it's about the sound of the album, the mood it puts you in, the subject matter. It's all good here. It's honest, poignant, heartfelt, loud, and still has tracks that are tough fun throughout.
Whenever J. croons about being sad, or fearful, he is meaning it, but there isn't the baggage of any anxiety that could go along with those feelings. Dinosaur always feels good to me. It's always fun. Brings you down to earth and is a release at the same time.
Anyway, this is a band that seems to love each other now. There damn good, best 3 piece band in the land!
Classic Stuff Sep 30, 2009
I think this is in many ways better than Billy Bragg and Wilco's Mermaid Avenue. Deep, Thoughtful and some wonderful guitar work. Great mix of songs and melodies.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
It runs deep Sep 01, 2009
Dinosaur Jr.'s classic line-up has dropped another record filled to the brim with J. Mascis' signature approach by way of extended, hook-laden jam passages. Beyond - the original line-up's previous and first release together since '89 - while proving an impressive comeback in its own right, is dwarfed by Farm's euphoric walls of sound that tracks like "Said the People" and "I Don't Wanna Go There" so easily produce. More accessible tunes include the surprisingly catchy "Pieces", the jaunty Barlow-penned "Your Weather" and the sublimely urgent "There's No Here". Considering the melodic strength found in most every track, Farm seems to be a realignment with the bittersweet ethos of Dinosaur Jr.'s classic era and undoubtedly stands on par with the best material from those years.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Alternative Rock Gods Reclaim the Indie Landscape Aug 19, 2009
The first decade of the new millennia, often characterized by an extreme sense of nostalgia, saw the resurrection of many 80s and 90s era rock bands. While each band who came back from the bargain bin engendered reactions ranging from "I should have known" (The Smashing Pumpkins) to "I never would have thought" (The Pixies), there were a couple of groups who truly did the unthinkable and released new indie rock albums that were just as good as their old alternative rock albums. One such band, Dinosaur Jr., shocked everyone when they came together to record a new album not only because of their vitriolic breakup, but because the album in question, Beyond, wound up as one of the best albums of the year. In a turn of events that should have surprised no one, but probably shocked many, Dinosaur Jr.'s follow up, Farm, is even better than their last album.
Farm's cover art, consisting of two Ents carrying naked children in the palms of their hands, provides a psychedelic connection from J. Mascis to the guitar rock gods of yore (c. 1970s). Some of the longer set pieces twist and turn until they invert themselves to reveal expansive guitar solos. The penultimate song, the almost nine-minute "I Don't Want to Go There," begins with a tempo that chugs along like an old car, but as it makes its way across different landscapes, the soaring song finally ends with a monster solo that bites off the entire second half of the running time. Mascis's proficiency with guitar solos so sharp they could skin cats is a singular gift to be sure, but his talents can be traced back to his acknowledged inspiration, Neil Young. I must admit that, aside from Mascis's voice, I never gave much thought to the comparison, but on Farm you can see the band growing into the profile of Young, much as a man's bones stretch in later years to reveal his grandfather's hidden genetic mark. In some ways Farm sounds as if Neil Young had continued to follow the punk rock inspiration he found when recording the album Rust Never Sleeps.
That's not to say the album is devoid of the great pop songs the band has always delivered. Both "I Want You to Know" and "See You" skip along with such ease that the band makes them look easy, even if few bands write songs this enjoyable two decades into their career. "Over It" is notable for not only being one of the most radio ready songs off the album, but because the song title easily plugs into narratives about the reunion of once avowed enemies, J. Mascis and Lou Barlow. For his part, this time around Barlow's harmonies float higher and his songs are tighter. It is this ability to balance guitar solo freak outs and pop songwriting that makes such a long album seem epic but not overblown (Arcade Fire, take note).
Like a circus daredevil who moves on to higher, more dangerous, heights, many are waiting to see when Dinosaur Jr. will fall. After two outstanding comeback albums how does a band keep on creating excitement? At this point it is probably safe to no longer see Dinosaur Jr. as a reunion band because these albums fit so well within their canon of work. There will be other great albums (and probably some not as great albums) but it is safe to say that watching this band follow its muse into the new millennium will be as rewarding and unpredictable one of Mascis's searing solos.
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