Dinosaur Jr - Bug

Thu 26th May, 2005 in Music Reviews

I can practically hear your squeals of excitement at the knowledge of a re-mastered edition of Dinosaur Jr’s third (and arguably best) album Bug. That’s right, this behemoth of alternative rock, originally released in 1988, sounds better than ever and I for one am pretty fricking happy.

It is all about the guitars, people. That and J. Mascis’ familiar twinging vocals. Bug’s predecessors, Dinosaur and You’re Living All Over Me (these albums have also been re-issued), were comprised of an amalgamation of styles, including a heavier punk-rock feel. Not so with Bug, however. Here Dinosaur Jr established a sound which would resonate within the alt-rock community; a sound that would be imitated in varying degrees for years to come.

Bug is chock-full of distortion, noise and heavy guitar sounds rendered emotive by the vocals of Mascis. It was also the last album recorded with the original line-up of Mascis, Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums).

From the word go, the album is freakishly good. Speaking of which, opener (and one of, if not the best known Dinosaur Jr song) Freak Scene is the epitome of changeability, with the upbeat verses giving way to thumping drums and guitars, as the song briefly transforms into a heavenly mass of distorted noise (and you can never, EVER have too much distorted noise).

Onwards then to the penultimate No Bones, a song that fuses moody guitars while retaining a background acoustic feel, until distortion rears its lovely head towards the end of the song, culminating in a cacophonous sound. Coupled with the unsteady vocals of Mascis, this makes for a killer song.

Another illustration of the phenomenal musical breaks that are littered throughout this album is the guitar break in They Always Come, which packs a mighty punch and drives home the fact that you cannot get lost in a reverie during this album. It throws surprises at you when you least expect it in a most noisy format, thanks to the heavy-as-hell guitars.

Budge brings on a new level of discord that can attributed to Murph’s drum-bashing. Another outstanding chaotic moment is Lou’s repeated screams of “why don’t you love me?” on Don’t.

On the other side of the scale is Pond Song, which sees the sound stripped back during the verses. This accentuates the musical talents of a band that are just as capable as making an impact through quieter, more melodic moments as they are through moments of discord.

What makes this album so good is not only that it was the milestone album of one of the best late ‘80s/early ‘90s alt-rock guitar bands to have made it out of the garage, but the poignancy of knowing that from here on in, Dinosaur Jr would never be the same band that made this kick-arse record. That’s not to say that subsequent DJ releases did not have their merits – but Bug’s heavy guitars combined with a shoe-gazer sensibility made it one hell of an innovative and powerful album, and it is in that light that Dinosaur Jr are still remembered.   

Additional features on the re-release include bonus track Keep The Glove and videos of Freak Scene and (previously unreleased) No Bones.