You're Living All Over Me
by Dinosaur

The psychotic, psychedelic sound is still fresh and the songwriting is perfect. The band achieved a sound and sensibility that was soaked in neurosis and melancholy but rushed madly forward with the noise and chaos of a derailed driverless train or an acid trip gone wrong. There was a mix of nostalgia, resignation, anxiety and barely controlled manic energy in the music that maybe had no precedent except for the Meat Puppets or Pere Ubu. I can't think of any earlier band that came close to this sound, as most gritty guitar bands up to this point were not exploring vulnerability or internal states to this degree. J. Mascis' fantastically unambitious vocals were the first I had ever heard to come close to approximating my own state of mind.
When the music press and marketing started using the word "grunge" in the 90s to refer to bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, I immediately thought of this album -- maybe the song title "sludgefeast" inspired the "grunge" term -- but of course they weren't referring to Dinosaur Jr., whose outsider style of madness wasn't marketable. Nirvana, Pearl Jam and many others that were far worse offered a marketable brand of disaffection that kids could pick up at Target and make out to after the friday night football game. The mainstream "grunge" bands were borrowing some stylistic qualities from more authentic and artistic predecessors and contemporaries like Dinosaur Jr. and Meat Puppets, who in turn were inspired by earlier artists like the Stooges, Neil Young and MC5. While the SST bands were inspired by their predecessors to explore new sounds, the mainstream grunge bands were mostly ripping off some elements of the SST bands' guitar sound and disaffected sensibilities, while steering clear of the emotional honesty and challenging artistry that could make their records a hard sell to less committed listeners. "Grunge" bands opted for themes and messages that would appeal to bored, horny adolescents and could be played in the free weight room of the gym without dampening the testosterone. You're not going to hear Dinosaur Jr. at Powerhouse Gym because the energy in their sound comes from anxiety, yearning and creative restlessness rather than testosterone and sexual boredom. Dinosaur Jr., Meat Puppets and Husker Du all belonged to the SST label, and they had some things in common that you would not find in the mainstream "grunge" bands they inspired -- mainly their ability to write fantastic songs grounded in compassion for the human experience and to create original, riveting sounds. It's unfortunate, but not surprising, that the mindblowing music of the Stooges, Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr. would lead eventually to the cheapened, inauthentic and incredibly dull adolescent marketing brand called "grunge," which might have come close to killing guitar-based rock altogether.

These guys are given shit credit in this community. Dinosaur Jr. are alt-rock legends.

From mayonaise93 04/23/2010 17:43 | #10913 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Godfathers of alternative rock music. It's hard to imagine music without this album as it single handedly shaped the sound of the 90's.

From Caesar01 05/01/2019 23:59 | #235736 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

As someone who tends not to like indie rock bands with weak singers and disturbed lyrics, you might expect me not to like this album. However, I can unreservedly say that the first 7 tracks here are simply incredible.
First: the songwriting is excellent. The poppy moments in 'in a jar' (after 'just can't stop') and 'the lung' are euphoric because they are just parts of a larger song that is decidedly not a 'pop' song. 'In a Jar' especially is beautifully written (great bass too).
Second: lyrics. While I tend not to be a big fan of Cobain-style grotesque lyrical imagery, for some reason it just works on this album. I think this connects with J Mascis' voice, which, while certainly not putting him on any 'best singers' lists, fits perfectly with the lyrics (he sounds exactly like the person who would write the lyrics, giving them authenticity where I often feel lyrics are made weird for the sake of them). Also, the couple snippets of voices from a mental hospital work excellently.
Third (and most important for me): that fucking guitar man. I remember reading something that really summed up what makes this album (and Dino Jr. generally) so unique: they're a lo-fi indie/alternative band with a certified guitar god playing for them. In perfect contrast to his restrained, low-key vocal delivery, Mascis' guitar roars with a fury like few before or since. Not only is his playing aggressive, it is very technically proficient as well. Every single solo on this album is worth hearing, with special kudos to the solo in Raisans, which will never cease to shred my mind with its opening notes.
Final conclusions: 'Lose' and 'Poledo' prevent this album from being a perfect 100, but coming as the last two songs, they don't take anything away from the flow if you end with 'In a Jar' (I also like the 'Show Me the Way' and especially the 'Just Like Heaven' covers on some releases). Everything before that is exquisite; and 'Sludgefeast' will forever be the best Black Sabbath song not by Black Sabbath. I recommend this album wholeheartedly to anyone with an even passing interest in alt/indie rock, as I love this album despite not liking much of the music it spawned.

Very good and entertaining album with slightly stronger first half than the second with 3 first tracks being absolutely killer. I like how it mixes classic-sounding heavy riffs (in style of Black Sabbath) with more modern noisy sound similar to Psychocandy, but fast-paced. Definitely influential record that standa the test of time. (Edited)